


Learning to Fly With a Broken Wing

by BeyondTheClouds777



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: And angst, Blind Hinata Shouyou, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I Am So Mean To The Precious Sunshine Child, Panic Attacks, Team Feels, bind!Hinata, hinata protection squad, kageyama blames himself, protective!kageyama, why did I write this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 02:10:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 42,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10426848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeyondTheClouds777/pseuds/BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: When a freak accident leaves Hinata blind, Team Karasuno is left with the aftermath.





	1. The Break

**Author's Note:**

> ***This fic contains high levels of angst. Proceed at your own risk***

The hospital lights were bright, reflecting against the white tile floor below. The waiting room was empty except for the anxious volleyball team, and silent save for the employee at the front desk tapping away at the computer. 

Tanaka was fiddling restlessly, looking more solemn than anyone had ever seen him before. Sugawara was biting his lip so hard it was a miracle he hadn’t drawn blood, and he was squeezing a fistfull of his jacket, desperately trying to look composed for the sake of the younger boys around him. Asahi was silent and still, folding his hands and bent over nearly double, so his forehead touched his knees. No one could see his face. 

Nishinoya was squeezing his knees, his nails digging into his skin. He was shaking. Tsukishima sat beside Yamaguchi, occasionally looking up at the door beyond which the hospital rooms resided. Though Tsukishima’s tolerance for Hinata’s antics were usually below zero, he looked uncharacteristically worried. Panicked, almost. And poor Yamaguchi was white as a ghost, trembling in his seat. 

And Daichi, their team captain...everyone could tell he was fighting, mentally wrestling with his composure. He was stiff, but he hid most of his panic behind a mask of assurance and worthless words. 

“He’ll be okay. He’s strong. Don’t worry.” 

But he said it like he was asking a question. 

Kageyama sat, stiffly, painfully stiffly, against the back of the hard waiting room chair, beneath the bright lights. He couldn’t think, couldn’t grasp the full reality of the situation. Didn’t want to grasp the full reality of the situation. 

But then again, how could he? 

He remembered flashes. Things he’d much rather forget but couldn’t get out of his mind. He remembered words like “Stay with us Hinata!” and “Don’t close your eyes!” and wanted to throw up, both then and now. He remembered Sugawara calling, sounding uncharacteristically desperate, for an ambulance. 

He remembered Hinata. 

Silent. 

Unnaturally silent.

Still. 

Unnaturally still. 

And it was wrong, because Hinata was never silent, Hinata was never still. He shouldn’t have been still, or silent, because that wasn’t the kind of person he was. He was like pure, concentrated energy, and whenever he was in the room, everything felt just a little bit brighter.   
It was wrong. 

This situation was wrong. 

And Kageyama also remembered the blood. 

The blood, though…

There was just so much of it. In the middle of the dark street, it appeared black, but Kageyama knew what it was. 

Through it all, he couldn’t do anything. He’d wanted to. He’d desperately wanted to. He’d wanted to help Sugawara contact the emergency services. He’d wanted to try and find help. He’d wanted to try and keep the rest of the team calm through the whole, chaotic ordeal. Overall, he’d wanted to go to Hinata’s side and just be there for him if nothing else. 

But in the moment of truth, he couldn’t move. 

He’d been frozen in place. Around him, everyone’s wheels were spinning. Chaos had erupted; hell had broken loose; and yet…

And yet…

...He hadn’t moved. At all. 

And now, thinking back to it, back to that panic-filled haze that was still fresh in his mind…

...He loathed himself for it. 

That one moment when his teammates actually needed him for something other than setting, and yet…

...He couldn’t do anything. 

If the actual event was a haze, then the trip to the hospital was a complete white-out. Kageyama actually didn’t remember how they’d gotten there; only that they had, and that now they were in the waiting room. 

And Hinata was...somewhere else. Somewhere else in the bright, white, too-clean hospital getting who-knew-what done to him. Kageyama didn’t know anything about the medical field, but...it didn’t take a medical professional to know that this case was serious. 

_Hinata’s injury was serious._

Kageyama always hated hospitals. It’s not like he had a bad history with them, or anything. He just didn’t like them. The bright lights, the atmosphere, that too-clean smell that stung your nose and the back of your throat, the way everyone talked, the way they acted, the depressing air that hung above like stormclouds in cue, the fact that it was full of sick people, injured people, people who might never actually live to walk out of the hospital…

_This can’t be happening._ He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and shaking his head, wishing everything -- this entire situation as a whole -- would disappear. 

This...it had to be a nightmare. Yeah, that’s right. A dream. Some sick hallucination. That was all this was. 

_Please, just be some sick hallucination…_

“Shōyō…” Nishinoya whispered, his voice cracking and quivering, and Kageyama snapped out of his daze, turning to look at his teammate. The libero didn’t seem to notice, though, and he buried his face in his hands, no doubt to hide his tears for the sake of everyone else. “Please be okay.” 

_No…_ Kageyama shook his head, still in denial. _This is a dream. This is just a sick, twisted nightmare. So please. Wake me up, someone, please…_

“Please don’t…” Asahi’s voice this time, just as cracked -- if not more so -- than Nishinoya’s. Kageyama decided not to look at his face; he knew it would just make it hurt more. 

“Don’t...don’t be…please just don’t be gone...” Asahi was still speaking, and Kageyama wished he would stop, because the more everyone spoke, the more they pleaded, the harder it was for him to talk himself into thinking this was just a nightmare. 

He buried his face in his hands, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. 

_...End this nightmare…_

“Please come back to us…” Daichi’s voice didn’t crack, but it was thick and strained. Kageyama knew exactly what he was trying to do. He was trying to be strong, to be the team’s foundation now just as he was on the volleyball court. 

But it wasn’t working. 

_...I can’t take this…_

_It’s not right. It’s not right. It’s not right it’s not right it’s not right it’snotrightit’snotright--_

“C’mon, Hinata…” It was Tanaka this time, and he spoke as though Hinata were really right in front of him, his voice full of determination twinged with unspoken fear and horror. “We wouldn’t be anywhere without you…” 

_End this._ Kageyama’s hands slid from his face into his hair, and he yanked hard, trying to snap himself back into reality _because there was no way this hell was reality._

_Stop this._ He yanked again, harder this time, squeezing his eyes shut even tighter. _This isn’t happening. Please, wake me up._

“Please, please, please…” Sugawara. 

_Someone wake me up. This can’t be real._

“Be strong, Hinata.” Daichi again. 

_Get me out of here!_

“You’d better be okay, Shrimp. You’d better be okay.” Tsukishima, and his voice quivered through his clenched teeth. His fists were balled against his legs, knuckles as white as snow. 

_No. No. No. No. No. If this is reality...I don’t want it. Wake me up. Wake me up. Please wake me up._

It was hours of painful silence, disturbed only by choked sobs and broken pleas, until finally...

“For Hinata Shōyō?” 

Eight heads immediately snapped upwards towards the door, which was open, revealing a grim-faced doctor in a too-white, too-clean coat. 

Sixteen shoes hit the white tiled floor and the team moved, as a whole, towards the doctor. Kageyama felt detached, like he was passenger instead of driver, body moving on instinct. 

The doctor made eye contact with each player respectively in turn, and then looked down at his clipboard. There was something distant about his eyes, and there was a silent sorrow embedded deep into his frown. 

“Your friend, Hinata…” the doctor began, his voice low, his gaze still turned away from the young men before him. “He…” 

Kageyama’s lungs were paralyzed. His throat was clogged by a tight, unmoving lump. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. 

“...He’s alive.” 

A deep, unison breath was released from every single high schooler in the bright, white waiting room. Kageyama’s thoughts finally cleared, and through the corner of his eye he thought he saw Nishinoya do a victory leap, much like Hinata did whenever he was particularly motivated. 

Kageyama stumbled backwards and almost fell, managing to catch himself at the last second. He felt lightheaded, and the floor seemed to swirl beneath his feet. He was overwhelmed by pure, undaunted relief. 

“However…” 

He froze. The doctor was still talking, and whenever a doctor said “however” after the words “He’s alive,” he may as well have said the world was ending. 

The relief ended, and the members of the team watched the doctor, looking more worried than ever. Said doctor bit his lip -- never a good sign -- and looked down at his clipboard. 

“There have been a few...complications.” 

And just like that, the flow of the entire world shifted.   
...............  
Hinata was blind. 

The reality of it was almost impossible to believe. Hinata was blind. Blind. There was no way of knowing if it was permanent or not, and the doctor said there was treatment and even surgeries they could do to possibly partially restore his sight (only partially and only possibly), but…

But Hinata was blind. 

As of now, he was blind. Blind. Blind. The word echoed back and forth through Kageyama’s head, loudly and persistently, like the beat of a wardrum. 

Hinata was blind. 

The first one to speak was Tanaka after the doctor’s report, and the first thing he said was what everyone else was thinking: 

“When can we see him?” 

It wasn’t so much of a question as it was a demand. It didn’t matter when or how at this point; they needed to see Hinata. They had to. It wasn’t a request. It was a statement. 

When can we see him? 

The doctor sighed. “He’s in intensive care,” he said, “and he should be moved to a room in a couple of hours, but…” 

“We’re staying.” 

The words, firm, without any form of doubt whatsoever, were spoken in unison by each member of the team -- Kageyama included. It was a mutual agreement they all shared, and if anyone outside that mutual agreement tried arguing, well, Karasuno would fight them, because there was no way anyone was going to get between them and their teammate. 

However, this wasn’t necessary, because the doctor simply nodded, told them he would let them know when they could see Hinata, and that was the end of that. They were back to anxious waiting in that crisp, clean waiting room. 

And Kageyama hated it.   
...............  
It hurt. 

When the doctor returned to the waiting room at nearly two in the morning to tell the wide-awake and anxious members of the volleyball team that they could now see their friend, everyone had immediately jumped to their feet (again) and followed the doctor down the hallway, into one of last rooms.

They were finally able to see Hinata -- two at a time, and quietly, as the doctor ordered. 

But it hurt. 

It still hurt. 

It hurt _so much_ to see Hinata in such a state. His hospital room was dark. It was silent except for the beeping of a heart monitor and the dull hum of an oxygen tank. It almost physically hurt, actually, when Kageyama went in with Daichi to see their precious, irreplaceable teammate. 

There was so much wrong with this situation. 

Hinata wasn’t awake, but Kageyama hadn’t really been expecting him to be, so he wasn’t disappointed. Kageyama couldn’t tell if he was sleeping, or if he was unconscious, or if the doctors had given him something to knock him out or whatever -- maybe pain meds? -- but either way, one thing was certain. 

Hinata looked _bad_. 

There were so many other words Kageyama could have used to describe the state of his teammate, but the most obvious -- and the first one that popped into his head -- was bad. 

There were dark rings beneath Hinata’s closed eyes, an oxygen mask resting over his mouth and nose and strips of thick bandages wound around his head. There was an IV prick in his arm and other wires connecting him with the heart monitor by the bedside. He was breathing, but it looked like hard work. 

Kageyama swallowed back the lump in his throat and clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm. 

_This shouldn’t have happened._

_This should not have happened._

Not to Hinata of all people. Not to the idiot who could literally become friends with anybody, even Kenma the introvert and Aone the giant of Date Tech -- heck, even Kageyama, the “King of the Court.” 

This shouldn’t have happened. At all, to anyone, let alone to Hinata. 

_It should have been me,_ Kageyama thought, biting the inside of his cheek. 

And then, he backtracked. 

_It was supposed to be me._

He swallowed again, balling his fists at his side. 

_It was supposed to be me._

Daichi put his hand on his shoulder, and they left to join the rest of their team outside the room.   
........................  
Kageyama didn’t visit after that. 

He walked down the sidewalk, towards Karasuno High School on a Monday morning, one whole week since the freak accident, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He half-expected Hinata to suddenly breeze passed him, like he always did on their way to school; though they lived in different directions, they both used the same sidewalk to get to Karasuno, so they almost always bumped into each other (and raced, of course). 

But this time, Hinata didn’t. Kageyama knew he wasn’t going to, of course, but it still hurt. 

Kageyama’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket, flipping it open. 

From: Nishinoya Yū  
Re: Hospital Visit  
Daichi says no club activities today. We’re gonna go visit Shōyō in the hospital after school. You coming? 

Kageyama stopped walking, staring down at the message. After a long moment, he sent his reply. 

From: Kageyama Tobio  
Re: Hospital Visit  
No. Go without me.

And then, he stuffed his phone back in his pocket and kept walking, ignoring the next couple buzzes of his phone (Nishinoya was probably yelling at him via long texts and all-caps). 

_If I go, I’ll just feel out of place._   
........................  
But his friends were persistent. They always asked him (or told him) to come with them to the hospital, and he turned them down each time, but it was getting increasingly harder to decline their offers, especially when Yamaguchi called him, saying, “Hinata’s not awake that often, but when he is, he’s always wondering where you are. I think he’s worried. You should come see him. It’d probably mean a lot.” 

He knew. Kageyama knew he should go, but...but he didn’t know how. He wasn’t ready. Wasn’t ready to face Hinata after what happened. It wasn’t just some stupid “accident” like everyone said it was. 

It was Kageyama’s fault, and even if no one else realized it -- even if Hinata didn’t blame him in the slightest -- Kageyama still knew the truth. 

If he’d just seen that _stupid car sooner..._

His phone rang, and he grabbed it, flipping it open. 

_Incoming Call: Sugawara Kōshi_

He bit his lip, thinking -- and then, he accepted the call. “What?” he said instantly, and then berated himself for the tone of his voice. Did he have to sound so threatening all the time? Geez. 

He paused. 

_Great, now I’m thinking like Hinata._

_“Hi, Kageyama,”_ Sugawara said, and Kageyama was broken from his thoughts. Sugawara sounded tired and worn, even though the phone. _“Listen, I know you’re getting tired of hearing this, but you should really, really come to the hospital with us.”_

Kageyama swallowed thickly. “I know that,” he said. “I just can’t--” 

_“Hinata doesn’t blame you,”_ Sugawara told him firmly in a voice that left no room for argument. _“It wasn’t anyone’s fault, Kageyama. It was an accident.”_

_An accident that just cost the kindest person in the world their eyesight,_ Kageyama thought harshly, but said nothing. Sugawara had a point. He always did, but still. Even so. Whether it was an accident or not, Kageyama still considered it to be his fault. 

It didn’t matter what anyone said. 

_“But, Kageyama…”_ Sugawara was talking again, so Kageyama listened. _“...You really should come, okay? At least…”_

There was a long beat in which Kageyama thought the connection might have been cut. 

And then…

_“...At least be there for moral support. He needs all he can get.”_

Click. Sugawara terminated the call, leaving Kageyama alone with nothing but his own thoughts to keep him company.   
......................  
Well, he couldn’t _not_ go see Hinata after that. He still felt unbelievably out of place, as he followed the hospital receptionist down the hall and to Hinata’s room, though Kageyama already knew exactly where it was. He’d never been the most sociable person to begin with. What was he supposed to say that wouldn’t just make Hinata feel worse? 

What do you say to the person who saved your life at the cost of their sight? 

The receptionist left him in front of the closed door leading into Hinata’s room. Kageyama sucked in a deep breath, raised his fist, and knocked twice. 

The door was answered by Nishinoya, who looked at Kageyama like he was a ghost. The libero wasn’t as energetic as he usually was, and there were rings beneath his eyes, like he hadn’t slept in a week.

Maybe he hadn’t. 

“Oh, it’s you. Sugawara told me you were coming,” Nishinoya said, and he sounded a little frustrated. “Just announce yourself when you walk in so he knows you’re there. And...if you plan on touching him any, even if you’re just patting him on the shoulder, give him a heads-up first, got it?” 

Kageyama nodded silently. He was pretty sure that, out of everyone on the Karasuno team, Nishinoya spent the most time with Hinata. Not because he cared more than anyone else, but because he was able to sneak past doctors and nurses after visiting hours and skip classes at school without any heed for his education whatsoever. 

It was a little frustrating, to be honest, but also very comforting. At least Hinata didn’t have to be alone for very long…

Nishinoya stepped out of the doorway and snuck back down the hallway -- maybe to find a chair to crash on? Kageyama didn’t know -- and once he disappeared around the corner, Kageyama steeled himself, and then stepped into the hospital room, pulling the door shut behind him. 

Hinata was awake. Actually, not only that, but he was sitting up in the hospital bed, looking marginally better than he had before. He wasn’t on oxygen anymore, or a heart monitor, but there was still gauze around his head and dark crescents beneath his eyes. 

The biggest difference of all were his eyes. They were...clouded. Fogged. Kageyama felt vaguely like he was staring into mist. He swallowed hard. 

_Hinata is blind._

He had tried to dismiss the doctor’s verdict before, but now, he could do it no longer. This was reality. 

Hinata was blind. 

Hinata wasn’t looking directly at him, but his head was turned towards the closed door. “Who’s that?” he said, and Kageyama wanted to smack himself. He was such an idiot…

“It’s me,” Kageyama said, wishing he’d done so the minute he walked into the room. Nishinoya had just told him to introduce himself, but…

Hinata perked up, and Kageyama stared. “Oh! Bakayama! You finally decided to show up!” Hinata said, grinning. 

Kageyama sighed. _Aaaaaannnnd he’s off._

“So, everyone around here is really serious and dull and it’s pretty boring actually! The food here’s not that great but it’s better than the cafeteria at school -- oh, and they said I’m gonna be discharged soon! I won’t be able to get back to club activities for another month because they want to make sure my head heals up and stuff -- which is no fair! -- but I’ve got all these homework assignments to catch up on and it sucks! Oh, and…” 

He ranted on, and Kageyama pulled up a chair. Hinata was talking more than usual, and there was eagerness in his tone, but it all felt...fake. Like he was putting up an act. 

_Maybe it’s a coping method._

“---Nishinoya was here earlier, too, he said he’s doing fine---” 

“Hinata…” 

“...And I talked to Kenma earlier, too. Tanaka dialed his number for me. We talked for a little while, I think he’s doing good. He wants to do another practice match against us--” 

Hinata probably didn’t mention the fact that he was blind to Kenma. The more he talked, the more Kageyama realized that yes, this was a coping method. Maybe Hinata thought that the more he talked about everyone else, the less he had to think about his own reality. 

Maybe Nishinoya realized this and spent more time with Hinata than before. Or maybe Hinata had asked him to. 

“Oh, and Tsukishima was around here earlier. He didn’t sound as angry as before so I think he’s doing okay, and--” 

“I’m sorry.” 

Kageyama blurted it before he even realized what he was saying. Hinata stopped talking mid-thought, glancing in Kageyama’s general direction. He looked confused. “What for?” he asked, and Kageyama squeezed his hands into fists against his knees. He wished Hinata would get mad at him. He boarderline wanted Hinata to get mad at him. 

Kageyama could deal with that. But he couldn’t deal with this. He couldn’t deal with Hinata not blaming him. It felt so wrong. 

Kageyama didn’t say anything else after that. Only continued to stare at the ground, so he didn’t have to meet Hinata’s eyes. It hurt. It hurt. It really, really, really, really hurt, and Kageyama wanted to scream, wanted to yank on his hair and scream at the top of his lungs. 

But he didn’t. 

He heard Hinata sigh. “Oh...you mean _that,”_ he said, and Kageyama finally looked up. Hinata was staring at the far wall, no longer in Kageyama’s direction. He couldn’t see anything, but he probably felt Kageyama staring at him and didn’t want to look back. 

“Sugawara told me you’re beating yourself up over...this,” Hinata said, suddenly quiet, and he waved his hand in front of his face. Kageyama winced, wishing he wouldn’t. 

“But...you really don’t have to worry, Kageyama.” 

Kageyama ducked his head. _I do worry._

“It wasn’t your fault.” 

_This is all my fault._

“I don’t want you to feel guilty.” 

_I do feel guilty._

“I’m fine, really...I promise.” 

_You’re lying._

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. 

The fake smile Hinata wore _hurt._ It was pained and forced and practically screamed _I’m dying on the inside_ and Kageyama would rather sit next to a car-sick Hinata than sit here and stare at Hinata’s fake smile. 

He’d probably never admit it, but he’d begun to see Hinata as a sort of annoying little brother, despite Hinata being the older of the two. They fought more than anyone else on the Karasuno team, but they also understood each other better than anyone else at the same time. They had a mutual kind of friendship, one that required little words. 

“But...why?” Kageyama questioned. “Why did you do that? You didn’t...you didn’t have to.” 

“I know I didn’t have to,” said Hinata. “I could have just let you get run over, but I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself afterwards.” 

“I don’t understand.” This was a new thing entirely for Kageyama. This...this...something. This feeling of fear and regret and guilt and confusion because he just didn’t understand why Hinata would risk his own life just to save his. 

“You really are stupid, Kageyama. Baka. Bakayama.” Hinata frowned (at least it was better than that fake smile). “I would’ve done it for any of you guys. Nishinoya, Tanaka, Daichi, Sugawara, Ennoshita, you name it. You’re not special. You just happened to walk right in front of a speeding car.” 

Kageyama winced. 

_“Kageyama! Watch out!_

_He was shoved. There was a sickening crack and the screech of tires as the brakes were floored. Everyone was moving at once; Sugawara, as well as a few different onlookers, dialed 119._

_There was blood. There was panic. Kageyama finally realized what had happened._

_He’d been shoved, by Hinata, and Hinata had taken his place in front of the speeding vehicle._

“It was my choice,” said Hinata, and Kageyama was brought back to the present, back to the aftermath of those events. “Now,” Hinata put up a finger pointedly, like he was a teacher coming to the conclusion of a problem, “it’d be one thing if you were using me as a human shield, but you weren’t. I wouldn’t put it past you, of course…” 

Kageyama glared. 

“Just kidding,” said Hinata. “But, you know what I mean. It was me. You didn’t make me do anything. It was my choice, and…” He paused, glancing down, even though he wasn’t looking at anything in particular. 

“...And I don’t regret it,” Hinata finished. “I don’t regret it at all and you shouldn’t either. It wasn’t your fault. It was nobody’s fault. Playing the blame game...it’ll...it’ll just make it harder. For everyone.” 

He didn’t say what he really meant, but Kageyama still caught on: It’ll just make it harder for me. 

“...Okay,” Kageyama finally relented. “I won’t blame myself anymore.” 

After that, they talked about pointless stuff, like volleyball and school, but eventually, evening came. Kageyama watched the sunset from the hospital room’s single window, and then, he rose to his feet. 

“It’s late,” he told Hinata, who looked at the direction of his voice (and ended up staring at the space just beside Kageyama). “I should head home, probably.” 

“...Oh.” Hinata looked and sounded disappointed. “O-Okay.” 

Kageyama nodded, pivoted, and made for the door. 

But at the last second…

“Wait, Kageyama.” 

...And he turned, looking at Hinata over his shoulder. “What?” he asked. 

Hinata bit his lip, looking suddenly embarrassed. “Um...would you mind...would you mind staying? Just until someone else comes?” 

The question caught him off-guard, so Kageyama really didn’t know what to say. After a few moments of silence, Hinata went on, slowly and quietly. 

“I-I’ve never actually been afraid of the dark before,” he said, his voice wavering, “but...b-but it’s different now, because...because now darkness is all there is.” 

There was a beat. 

“Okay,” said Kageyama, crossing the room once again. “I’ll stay.” 

Kageyama wondered, vaguely, if this was what it was like to have a little brother. To want to protect someone with all your life, to hold on with both hands and never let go, to want to always be there if they were scared, to shield them when the world was against them. 

If that was the case, then Kageyama was pretty okay with being that shield.  
.....................  
Weeks passed like decades until finally, at long last, Hinata was cleared by his doctor to continue club activities. The rest of the team was completely ecstatic to have him back, and they took turns -- wordlessly -- leading Hinata around by the wrist. Usually, this was done by Nishinoya or Sugawara, but Yamaguchi and Tanaka did it sometimes, too. It all depended on who was closest. 

They never mentioned his blindness, never treated him any differently (other than leading him when they decided to move), and Kageyama knew Hinata appreciated this more than anything else. 

The first day back at the volleyball club, Hinata sat on the bench and watched. Or, well, not necessary watched, but listened. Between getting switched out, Nishinoya and Tsukishima took turns on the bench, narrating the game for Hinata, who couldn’t see what was going on but still wanted to know. 

“And there he goes,” began Nishinoya, “the famous Kageyama Tobio with his jump serve -- oh, look, he missed! He needs to keep his head in the game! Oh look, now he’s glaring at me...” 

Tsukishima’s commentary was much different but just as interesting. 

“That was dumb. He was obviously going to toss it to the left and they blocked on the right. How lame. Oh, there goes the King -- and there goes the point, too. If they weren’t such morons they might be able to get another point -- but of course, they are such morons, so they’re obviously going to lose this one.” 

It wasn’t _that helpful,_ but it was Tsukishima’s way of showing that he cared, and Kageyama could tell Hinata appreciated it.   
............................  
Later on that day, after practice, when everyone else had left, Kageyama passed the gym on his way home. 

And heard the familiar sound of volleyballs hitting the court inside. 

With a frown, Kageyama moved forward to investigate, towards the sliding door leading in. It was cracked. Somebody hadn’t closed it all the way. _Who could still be practicing?_ he thought, peering in. 

It was Hinata. The ginger was standing on one end of the court, facing the wall, a volleyball held in hand. 

Kageyama was startled at first, but he didn’t call out for two reasons: one, because it’d scare the living daylights out of Hinata, and two, because he was curious as to just what Hinata was doing here all by himself. 

_He said his mother was picking him up. Was he lying? How did he sneak back here? Did he steal the key, or did Tanaka just forget to lock up? ...Nevermind, considering it’s Tanaka, he probably definitely forgot to lock up._

He stood, silent, and watched his teammate. 

Hinata raised his head towards the wall and took a deep breath. “So, the wall’s right there,” he said, stepping forward and pressing his hand against it, “and the floor’s down here, so…” 

He stepped back again, raised the ball, and threw it hard against the ground. The ball bounced, ricocheted off the wall and came right back towards him, and Hinata raised his arm, swung -- 

And missed. The ball hit the court just beside him. 

Kageyama blanched. Something in his chest clenched. _He’s trying to spike it…_

Keyword: trying. 

“Agh!” Hinata yelled. “I thought I had that one…” The cart containing all their volleyballs was nearby, and Hinata reached over blindly, managing to grab a ball relatively quickly. “Okay, again...the wall’s right here, and the floor’s right there, so all I have to do is…” 

He repeated the same process with nearly the same results; this time, the ball flew right over his head after hitting the wall. 

“One more!” Hinata said, grabbing blindly for a third ball. 

Throw. Ricochet. Swing. Miss.

“Again!” 

Throw. Ricochet. Swing. Miss.

“Again!” 

Throw. Ricochet. Swing. Miss.

“One more time!” 

Throw. Ricochet. Swing. Miss.

Kageyama watched. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep quiet, and he could tell that the longer he kept at it, the more frustrated Hinata was becoming. The evidence of this was the crack of his voice, the aggressive force behind his throws and swings, the tears shimmering in his blind, misty eyes. 

Kageyama wanted him to stop. He desperately, desperately wanted him to stop. But Hinata didn’t. He kept throwing, and spiking, and missing, over and over and over again, until finally, when he reached towards the cart, there were no balls left. 

He’d thrown and missed every single one of them. 

Hinata stood there, staring at the wall he could no longer see, his hands balled into fists at his sides. There was a mixture of sweat and tears running down his face. 

He stayed that way for a long, long while. 

And then, he sank to his knees, burried his face in his hands, and sobbed. 

When he was with his teammates, he put on an act, pretending he was happy for their sake, but he wasn’t, and Kageyama might have been the only person to truly realize this. Hinata was miserable, and of course he was. He’d been robbed of a physical part of him and now…

...And now he couldn’t spike a ball. 

Volleyball, the thing Hinata loved more than anything else in the world, had been taken away from him. 

Kageyama clenched his fists. 

_Just what kind of cruel place is this world?_

Not for the first time, Kageyama prayed this was a dream.   
............................  
“Kageyama...I think I’m going to quit volleyball.” 

Kageyama choked on his water. He and Hinata had stayed at the gym after practice, promising to lock up, while the rest of the team headed home (after Nishinoya made Kageyama promise not to bully Hinata while he was gone). 

Kageyama rounded the spiker, suddenly furious. “What?” he snarled, and Hinata jumped with a small yelp, taking a couple of steps away from the source of Kageyama’s voice. When Kageyama didn’t speak again, Hinata lowered his guard, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. 

“I can’t do it,” Hinata said slowly, his head turned towards the ground. He could, no doubt, feel Kageyama’s eyes bearing into him and was trying to avoid it. “I...I can’t do it anymore.”

Kageyama balled his fists. “What makes you say that?” he demanded. 

Hinata bit his lip, still fidgeting. “If...if I stay on the team, I’ll…” His voice was strained. He was holding back tears. “I’ll just bring you all down. You need to...you guys need to...t-to get stronger, and...and make it to nationals…” 

Kageyama gritted his teeth. “Is that all you’re thinking about?” he growled. “You don’t think that maybe we care about you more than nationals?” 

Hinata shook his head feverishly, backtracking. “No! It’s not that!” he said, waving his hands back and forth. “I just...I don’t want to be the weak link in the chain. If I can’t see, I can’t receive, I can’t serve, I can’t spi--” 

“You used to spike with your eyes closed, anyway!” Kageyama was raising his voice now, suddenly angry. “We’ll just go back to that!” 

Something snapped, and Hinata’s own fury flared. “That’s not enough!” Hinata shouted. “That spike isn’t enough on its own!” 

“IT’S GOING TO HAVE TO BE ENOUGH!” Kageyama yelled back. He balled his fists at his side, shaking with anger. “It’s going to have to be,” he repeated, “because we’re not kicking you off the team!” 

“But if I...if I keep playing,” Hinata started, moving backwards, further away from Kageyama, “and you guys start falling down in the ranks, I’ll...I’ll know it’s because of me! I can’t deal with that! I’m not going to be the reason this team never becomes the best! I’m not asking for your permission, Kageyama! I don’t need it! I’ll quit if I want to quit!” 

He was crying now. He didn’t want to quit, and they both knew it. 

“You’re missing the point, Hinata!” Kageyama yelled, advancing, taking step after step towards Hinata until finally, he grabbed the shorter by the shoulders, ignoring his flinch. “Yeah, sure, if you quit we might make it to nationals, and we might win twice as many tournaments as any other powerhouse school in the prefecture, and we might become the best volleyball team in the entire world…” 

He took a breath. 

“BUT WITHOUT YOU, WE DON’T WANT ANY OF THAT!!” 

Hinata jumped, staring straight into Kageyama’s face, and Kageyama stared back into Hinata’s clouded, tear-filled, unseeing eyes. 

“We don’t care if you suck!” Kageyama went on. “We don’t care if you can’t receive or serve -- it’s not like you’ve ever been able to do that anyway! If you make a mistake we’ll cover for you!” 

“But I’ll still drag you all down!” Hinata objected. “If you have to keep worrying about hitting balls I usually hit, what’s the point of me being on the team at all!? The only thing I’ll do is...I’ll cripple the entire team!” 

“THAT’S WHY THERE ARE SIX PLAYERS ON A VOLLEYBALL COURT, YOU IDIOT!” Kageyama screeched. “We cover for you! It’s what we do! As a team! Sure, individual strengths make it easier, but no game is decided just by its starting lineup! We don’t care if we have to hit every ball that comes your way! We’re not going to let you quit just because you think you’ll hold us back!” 

Hinata swallowed thickly. He looked terrified. “K-Kageyama--” 

Kageyama finally released him and stepped back, stomping his feet as he walked. He picked up the nearest volleyball and spun it in his hand. 

“I want you to swing your arm,” said Kageyama to Hinata, “right now, and you’re going to hit this ball, just like you always do.” 

Hinata opened his mouth to retort, but all the fight was sapped from him, so all he did was utter tearfully, “But I’m bli--” 

“Just swing your arm,” interrupted Kageyama, raising the ball, getting ready to throw it. “I’ll bring the ball to you, just like I always do. Just trust me…” 

_And jump._

Hinata thought for another moment, looking absolutely torn -- and then, he nodded mutely. He raised his arm over his head, and the instant he swung it for the spike, Kageyama pinpoint-tossed the ball. 

Smack. 

Hinata’s hand hit the ball, right on target, and the volleyball bounced against the court’s floor. Hinata blinked a couple of times in disbelief. 

“I...I hit it,” he said. 

Kageyama nodded firmly, crossing his arms. “You hit it,” he said. “Nothing has changed. You’re going to stand on the court with us, and you’re going to spike my tosses, and we’re going to go to nationals.” 

Hinata still didn’t look completely convinced. “But...what about the starting run? What about jumping? What about the net? If I don’t know where anything is--” 

“We’ll count how many strides it takes to get from one side of the court to the other, and how many it takes to get from the back of the court to the net,” said Kageyama, frowning. “But it doesn’t matter where you are. When you spike, the ball will be there. Unless, of course, you’re a decoy. Got it?” 

Hinata blinked again, and this time, there were more tears. “A-Are you sure I won’t just…” He rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands. “...I won’t just b-bring the team to the ground?” 

“As if you could,” said Kageyama. “Which you can’t, and even if you could, there’s literally nothing you could do to make us want you to quit the team.” 

Hinata turned his head towards the ground, probably trying to hide the majority of his tears. Kageyama wondered, for a moment, how long Hinata had been suffering in silence, in the darkness that was his reality, shutting himself out and forcing pained smiles for the sake of his friends and family. 

Kageyama swallowed, wanting to do something, but he didn’t know what. What would Hinata do if their roles were reversed, if Kageyama was blind and crying and lost in a sea of darkness? 

Kageyama sucked in a breath. Nishinoya’s words came back at him: “If you plan on touching him any, even if you’re just patting him on the shoulder, give him a heads-up first, got it?” 

“Can...can I hug you?” 

Hinata’s head jerked up, and he stared at Kageyama as though he’d suggested they go to Mars. “W-what?” 

“A hug,” said Kageyama, stupidly. “Because...you’re...you’re hurting.” _Because you’re suffering alone and you’re_ not _alone and I want you to realize that there are so many people here for you who love you and who don’t want you to do this by yourself._

Hinata didn’t move for the longest time. 

And then, all at once, he did. 

He flat-out charged towards Kageyama. Or rather, as he couldn’t see, he was really charging for the space right beside Kageyama, where he thought Kageyama was. 

When Kageyama realized this, he intentionally stepped into that space, and Hinata crashed into him, almost knocking them both over. 

As far as he could remember, this was the first time Kageyama had actually hugged one of his friends. He was stiff and tense at first, not knowing what to do because he’d never actually been in this situation before, but eventually, he relaxed and hugged Hinata back. 

Hinata was hurting. His tears made this obvious. Kageyama knew this, and standing in silence broken only by Hinata’s sobs was a fate worse than death. 

_What do I say?_

_What would Hinata say?_

“It’ll be okay, I promise,” Kageyama said, just to break the silence, trying to sound as convincing as possible. “You remember what I told you, right? As long as I’m here... _you’re invincible.”_

 

**(Deleted Scene)**

“Hinata, the team and I pitched in and got you something,” said Kageyama to the spiker one day. 

Hinata brightened up. “Ooh, you did? What is it?” he asked eagerly, leaning forward. They were sitting outside on one of the school benches; it was Friday, and they had just finished the last of their schoolwork for the week and were getting ready to head home. 

“Here,” said Kageyama. “Hold this, and take a guess.” 

Hinata took it from Kageyama and ran his fingers over it. Thick, bumpy fabric, almost like a fabric belt, but it wasn’t a belt...it was…

“Wait, is this a leash?” 

Kageyama nodded, and then, when he remembered Hinata couldn’t see him, said “Yes.” 

“You...you guys got me a dog?” 

On the other end of the leash, said dog barked (the dog had a very strange, unique sounding bark, Kageyama noted) and Hinata jumped, just slightly, in surprise. The dog was a border collie, and it came from a Service Animal Organization located a couple hours away from Karasuno. 

Kageyama nodded, and then corrected himself again. “Yeah, we did. A seeing-eye dog.” 

“No way!” Hinata gasped, and he reached forward blindly, his head whipping back and forth as though by doing so he would somehow see the dog. “Where is it?” 

The border collie leaned forward and nuzzled its head into Hinata’s palm. Hinata practically squealed, and he leapt off the bench to hug the dog tightly around the neck, looking happier than Kageyama had ever seen him. 

“Aww, she’s so fluffy!” Hinata gasped. 

“He’s,” Kageyama corrected. “It’s a boy.” 

“Aww, he’s so fluffy!” Hinata repeated, changing only the pronoun, and Kageyama rolled his eyes. 

“It was Sugawara’s idea,” said Kageyama, “and we checked with your mom. She said she thought it was a great idea.” 

“Thank you!” said Hinata, beaming brighter than ever before, and he squeezed the border collie even tighter. It was an amazing gift, of course, but the fact that it was from his team made it that much more special. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you---!!” 

“You sound like a broken record,” Kageyama frowned. 

“S-Sorry!” Hinata said, but his grin never faded. “I’m just...I’m just so happy!” As if in direct response, the border collie barked again. 

“So, anyways,” said Kageyama, “you should probably start thinking of a name for him.” 

“I already have an idea,” said Hinata, nodding firmly. 

Kageyama frowned again. _It’s probably going to be something stupid and childish, like Fluffy, right?_

“I’m gonna call him Kageyama,” said Hinata, and he sounded so proud of himself it was almost ridiculous. 

Kageyama made a face. “Why the heck would you name the dog after me?” he questioned. “It doesn’t even look like me...not that you would know that…” 

“Becaaaause,” interrupted Hinata, “whenever he barks, it sounds like he’s saying ‘baka’!” 

Kageyama blinked. 

And then…

“I’m seriously going to smack you one of these days.” 

“Okay,” said Hinata, grinning. “I’m sure Kageyama will bite you if you try.” 

“The dog having the same name as me is going to get really annoying really fast.” 

Hinata pouted. “You’re no fun.” And then, to the dog, “But Kageyama’s fun, aren’t you, boy?” The dog barked and wagged his tail. “See!? He really does sound like he’s saying baka! He’s just like you, Kageyama!” 

“Shut up. And no he’s not.” 

“Yes he is!” 

“No he’s not.” 

“Yes he is.” 

“No he’s not.” 

“He is.” 

“He’s not.” 

“He is.” 

“He’s not.”   
…

“He is.” 

“He’s not.”


	2. The Splint

Kageyama stared, glaring harshly, at the paper sitting on his desk. More specifically, the words typed out onto the paper. He twiddled his pencil between his fingers, frowning. He’d procrastinated on his homework all week and just realized earlier that it was due tomorrow.

It was past midnight (he’d started at nine that evening) and he wasn’t even halfway through with the problems on the test.  

_I wonder if I can get away with burning it,_ he thought to himself. _I could always say the neighbor’s dog tore it up, too, but would they buy that?_

He frowned at the next problem on the test, feeling more and more frustrated by the second.

_Question: Yasahiro was betrayed by his dearest friend. Give a word that would best describe Yasahiro’s feelings._

Kageyama glared harder, and then, he brandished his pencil and wrote his answer.

_SOLVE YOUR OWN FREAKING PROBLEMS, YASAHIRO!_

That probably wasn’t the answer that would give him the passing grade he needed, but at this point, he was fed up. One hundred percent _done_ with this assignment.

He was seriously considering burning it, and was right in the middle of thinking how he would get away with it when his phone, sitting beside his test on the desk, suddenly rang.  

Kageyama frowned, reaching over. _Who the heck could be calling at this hour?_ he thought, still feeling remaining fury towards his test that was now directed at his interrupting phone.

_Incoming Call: Stupid Hinata_

He frowned, and then accepted the call.

“Yeah?” he said, hoping he didn’t sound as exasperated as he felt.

_“Oh, you picked up.”_ Despite the insane hour, Hinata sounded just as wide-awake and exuberant as ever. _“Honestly I wasn’t expecting you to. I feel a little bad about thinking that now--”_

“What do you want, idiot?” Kageyama questioned, spinning around in his desk chair to look at the clock on the far wall of his room. “Do you know what time it is?”

_“No.”_

Kageyama mentally winced and smacked himself. _Right. He can’t see the clock. Way to be a royal jerk, Kageyama._ “...Sorry.”

Hinata, as always, was quick to forgive. _“No, it’s okay,”_ he said, sounding a little embarrassed. _“I forget, sometimes, too.”_

Kageyama sighed, glancing back at his assignment. He needed a break from it, anyways. He’d just have to jot down whatever felt right on his walk to school tomorrow.

_“Why? Is it really that late?”_ Hinata asked.

Kageyama glanced at the clock again. _2:04 AM._

“No,” said Kageyama.

There was a pause from Hinata’s end. _“You’re not lying just to make me feel better, are you?”_ Hinata sounded suspicious.

“No.” _Yes, but you don’t need to know that._  “Why’d you call, anyway?” he asked both to change the subject and because he was curious. “Why are you up at this hour?”

_“Asks the person also up at this hour.”_

Kageyama grit his teeth. “Just answer the first question, idiot.”

_“Oh, right, um...I just wanted to talk to someone, I guess.”_

Kageyama blinked, confused. “Isn’t your family over there with you?” he asked. “Couldn’t you just talk to them?”

_“Well, I guess so_ ,” said Hinata, _“but they’re downstairs sleeping.”_

“And?”

_“‘And’!?”_ Hinata sounded so disbelieving it was almost comical. _“And I don’t want to kill myself trying to get down the stairs, Bakayama!”_   

“Why are you sleeping upstairs?” If Kageyama was blind, the last thing he would want to do is sleep somewhere that put a staircase between him and the rest of his house.

_“Gak!”_ Hinata groaned. _“You know what, nevermind. I knew this was a bad idea from the start. Goodnight, Kageyama.”_

Kageyama leapt to his feet involuntarily, pushing back his chair. “Oy! Idiot! Don’t hang up on me!” he shouted into the other line. “I’m sorry, alright!? I wasn’t trying to be a jerk!”

There was a brief pause.

And then…

_“Wow, Kageyama apologizing to me? Maybe it’ll snow this summer, too.”_

Kageyama closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. _If only I could smack him through the phone…_ “Why’d you call in the first place?” said Kageyama, sitting down on the edge of his bed . “You have a reason, don’t you?”

_“Um, yeah, sort of,”_ said Hinata. _“It just gets pretty lonely over here is all. After I was discharged I slept downstairs on the couch so I could shout to my mom if I needed her, but...I didn’t like feeling helpless, so I moved back upstairs.”_  

Kageyama understood. It made sense. Hinata was always the kind of person that didn’t like to rely on others for basic tasks -- like getting around his house, for example. “And now?” said Kageyama.

_“Um…”_ He could almost _feel_ Hinata’s discomfort. This was obviously something the spiker hadn’t planned on sharing. _“Now I feel kind of...stuck up here,”_ Hinata finally said. _“Kinda like the time you dared me to climb that tree. Remember?”_

“I didn’t dare you,” Kageyama said. “I said, ‘Hinata, don’t climb that tree,’ and you said ‘Don’t tell me what to do, Bakayama’ and then you climbed the tree.”

_“...Still, that’s not the point,”_ Hinata said. _“Yeah, it was embarrassing when you had to call the local firemen, but---”_

“You’re getting off track, idiot.”

_“Right, sorry, um...well, anyways, I didn’t want to yell for anyone, but I still wanted to talk to someone, so I called you.”_

Frankly, Kageyama was a little taken aback by this. “You wanted someone to talk to, and your first choice was me?” he asked, unsure of how he felt about it.

Kageyama heard Hinata sigh. _“Well, not exactly,”_ said Hinata. _“I actually called Sugawara first, but when he answered he sounded really tired, so I lied and said I accidentally called -- don’t tell him I said that -- and let him hang up._ Then _I called you.”_

Okay, that made sense. Kageyama wasn’t very upset by the fact that he wasn’t Hinata’s first choice. If you wanted comforting words or good advice or just someone to talk to, Sugawara was the perfect person for the job.

_“But I almost didn’t,”_ Hinata went on, and Kageyama listened. _“I almost didn’t call you, because I felt really bad about waking Sugawara up and I didn’t want to bother anyone else--”_

“Idiot,” Kageyama interrupted.

Hinata stopped. _“Eh?”_

“I said, idiot,” Kageyama repeated, though he was pretty sure Hinata already got the message. “Nothing’s stopped you from bothering me before,” he went on -- not to be rude, exactly, but to prove a point. “Call me whenever. It doesn’t matter when. I’ll answer.”  

There was absolute silence from Hinata’s line. Kageyama pulled his phone away from his ear briefly, looking down at the screen. _The call’s still connected…_ “Oy, you still there?” he questioned.

_“...You’re acting weird, Kageyama,”_ said Hinata after another moment. _“Are you sick or something?”_

Kageyama glared, even though Hinata couldn’t see it. “Do you _want_ me to hurt you?”

_“Oh, false alarm, false alarm! You’re fine!”_

Kageyama clicked his tongue. “Moron.”

_“Bakayama.”_ He could hear the smile behind Hinata’s voice as he spoke, but then, his tone dropped dramatically. _“I still felt really bad after I called Sugawara_ ,” he said. _“I mean, the team spent so much time visiting me in the hospital and stuff. I kind of felt like I was burdening them. Like...like I’m bringing everyone down.”_

“You’re not bringing anyone down. We’ve been over this.”

_“I know that, but still.”_

Kageyama paused, remembering. It was similar to his own situation, back when he was blaming himself for what happened to Hinata. Even though he knew it was nobody’s fault -- even though his brain accepted the information that it was not his own fault -- his heart still told him otherwise.

Maybe, even subconsciously, he still blamed himself for Hinata’s injury. Maybe it was never something he would truly be able to get over. Maybe he’d never fully forgive himself (even if there was nothing to forgive himself _for_ ).

But even so…

“It’s not your fault,” said Kageyama. “The team chose to visit you. You didn’t drag them there, or even ask them to come. They did it because they care about you. We _all_ care about you.”

_“...It’s strange,”_ Hinata said, _“that I have to hear this from you.”_

Kageyama rolled his eyes. Frankly, he was frustrated with the fact that he hadn’t visited Hinata more often in the hospital. After his first visit, a little over a week after the accident, he’d visited one last time, and then Hinata was discharged.

He wished he’d accepted his teammates’ invitations more often when they asked him to go to the hospital with them.

Kageyama shook his head. _That’s in the past. There’s no changing the past._

_But..._

_I still have time to shape the present_.

“I mean it,” Kageyama said firmly. “It doesn’t matter what time of day it is. Even if I’m in the middle of class,” _Which I’ll be failing anyway_ , “if you call, you can expect an answer, got it?”

_“You almost sound like you’re threatening me.”_

“I don’t know, maybe I am. Do we have a deal?”  

There was a brief pause. _“Okay. Deal.”_

“Good.”

After that, they talked about random stuff, and every now and then, while Hinata was in the middle of a rant, Kageyama would jot down something on his test (yes, he hadn’t planned on working on it any more, but what the heck, he had to do _something_ or it would just keep _haunting_ him).

Kageyama was in the middle of jotting down an answer when he realized Hinata had stopped talking. He paused, waiting, but there was nothing. “You still there, idiot, or did you hang up?” Kageyama asked.

_“Oh, sorry!”_ Hinata said quickly -- almost too quickly. _“I kind of almost fell asleep.”_

Kageyama’s response was short and simple. “Then go to sleep.”

_“But--”_

“You called me because you couldn’t sleep,” said Kageyama, “and now you can sleep, so hang up and go to sleep.”

_“You just said ‘sleep’ three times in the same sentence.”_

“Of course I did. I had to make sure you were paying attention.”

He heard Hinata sigh. _“I’m guessing there’s no arguing with you.”_

“Obviously.”

_“Okay. ...Thanks for talking to me. I...I appreciate it.”_

“Don’t mention it.” _It’s the least I can do after the hell you’ve been through._ “We’ll work on positions on the court tomorrow, alright? I talked to Daichi earlier, he said we can use the gym for as long as want.”

_“Oh, really?”_ Hinata’s tone became just a little more energetic. _“Okay! I’ll see you then!”_

“Don’t be late.”

_“Well,_ you _don’t be late!”_

Kageyama rolled his eyes.

_“...Goodnight, Kageyama.”_

“‘Night, idiot.”

_Click_.

* * *

 

With a stopwatch and a small notepad, Hinata and Kageyama were practicing in the school gym. Hinata stood at the back of the court just behind the white line, waiting for Kageyama’s cue.

“So, I just run, right?” Hinata said dumbly.

Kageyama looked up at him and nodded. It was still strange, seeing that strange, fog-like mist clouding Hinata’s usually brown eyes, but he didn’t comment. He never did. “Yeah,” said Kageyama. “Just run like you usually would if you were spiking for a quick set.”

Hinata frowned, looking uncomfortable. “How do I know you’ll tell me when I’m about to hit the net?” Hinata muttered. He said it under his breath, so Kageyama was pretty sure he wasn’t meant to hear it.

Kageyama glared at him, though he knew Hinata couldn’t see it. _Do you really still have so little faith in me?_ “You’re just going to have to trust me, idiot,” said Kageyama. “It shouldn’t be that hard.”

Hinata sighed. “I know,” he said. “It’s just...it’s different when I can’t see anything.”

“Just don’t worry about it,” said Kageyama. “I’ll warn you before you hit the net. You should have plenty of time to stop.”

Hinata nodded, and then, he took off running. Kageyama counted his foot falls as accurately as he could (it was a little tricky, as he was also watching how close the net was plus Hinata was _just so dang fast_ ).

“Okay, Hinata, stop!”

Hinata put on the brakes, skidding just slightly, but he didn’t hit the net. When he turned back in Kageyama’s direction, there was a dull sparkle in his blind eyes that wasn’t there before.

“I didn’t hit the net!” he cheered, like he’d just won a marathon. “Yeaha!”

Kageyama rolled his eyes, jotting down the number of strides it took Hinata to reach the net. “So that’s that,” he said, moving forward. “I’m gonna grab your arm, alright?”

“Okay!” said Hinata, nodding eagerly, and he let Kageyama drag him off towards the opposite side of the court. Despite Hinata’s breakdown of a couple days ago, he seemed more eager than ever to work on volleyball.

_Probably because he thinks the sooner he learns to play blindly, the sooner he can actually start practicing with the team again_ , Kageyama thought, but said nothing. Anything he said now would probably only put a damper on Hinata’s mood, and Kageyama didn’t have the heart to do that.

After all, it’d been so long since he’d seen Hinata smile ( _actually_ smile, not that pathetic, heart-wrenching fake smile he’d put on just to have a brave face).  

“We’ll count the strides lengthwise now,” said Kageyama, releasing Hinata’s arm. “There’s no net for you to run into this time, but I’ll still tell you when to stop.”

Hinata nodded eagerly -- at the wall, where he probably thought Kageyama was -- and then started off again at top-speed.

_Even though he can’t see it_ , thought Kageyama, as he counted the strides, _he’s just happy to be standing on the court._

Kageyama watched, and when Hinata reached the right spot on the court, he jotted it down in the notebook, staring back at his handiwork thus far. “Alright, Hinata,” he called after another second, “I’ve got the--”

_Bang._

“Ouch!”

Kageyama grimaced. Hinata had, without meaning to, run straight into the wall. The impact knocked him off his feet and onto the ground, and he sat there, staring at the wall like it’d betrayed him.

“Oh,” Kageyama said. “My bad.”

Hinata jumped to his feet and whirled around. “KAGEYAMA!” he shouted furiously. “DANG, THAT HURT!”

“Sorry.”

“You told me to stop when there was a _net_ but not when there was a _wall!?”_ He looked around blindly, and then pointed across the room, probably where he thought Kageyama was standing. “I’LL FIND YOU!” he shouted, walking in that direction.  “DON’T THINK I WON’T!”

Kageyama deadpanned. “You’re about to--”

_Bump_.

Hinata hit the same wall once again, though much softer this time. Hinata growled lowly, and then shouted, even louder than before, “I’LL FIND YOU _EVENTUALLY!_ DON’T THINK I WON’T!”

“Oy, we’ve got two more spiking positions to count,” said Kageyama, heading over. “We’ve gotta finish doing this today, you know. You want to practice with the team tomorrow, don’t you?”

Any trace of anger vanished from Hinata’s face. “You mean I can!?” Hinata said instantly, sounding almost too excited. “I can practice tomorrow!?”

“Only if we can get your stride count, idiot,” Kageyama said. “I’m going to grab your arm again, alright?”

“O-kay!” sang Hinata, nodding, and he thrust out his arm expectantly. “Yahoo! I’m gonna practice again tomorrow! It’s been so long!”

_That’s right_ , Kageyama realized with a twinge of pain striking his heart, as he lead Hinata back to the righthand side of the court. _He hasn’t practiced with the rest of the team since the accident._

“Um, Kageyama? You’re squeezing my arm awfully hard.”

Kageyama loosened his grip. “Sorry.”

“S’okay.”

* * *

 

When tomorrow came, the team met in the gym. After everyone exchanged their greetings with Hinata, and Hinata boasted how hard he and Kageyama had been practicing the day before, they divided into two teams, one for each side of the court. Kageyama and Hinata were, of course, put on the same side.

“Remember how many strides, Hinata,” said Kageyama. “And…” He hesitated, wondering if he should continue. “...Don’t expect everything to work out perfectly right off the bat.”

“I know that!” said Hinata. “But I’m still excited to try! If we can do this...maybe I’ll still have a place on this team!”

“Hey! What’s that about?” said Tanaka from the background, coming up to stand between the spiker and the setter. “You’ll always have a place on this team! And anyone who says otherwise…” A shadow crossed over Tanaka’s face, and he punched his balled fist into his open palm. “...They’ll have to answer to your senpais.”

Kageyama involuntarily took a step back. He pitied the person on the receiving end of Tanaka’s wrath. Not only that, but he was sure Nishinoya would have a thing or two to say, not to mention Sugawara and Daichi...not to mention _Kageyama himself_ …

_We have a lot of terrifying people on our team_ , Kageyama thought with a small shiver, and then shook his head to forget it. The practice began.

* * *

 

They didn’t sync at all. Honestly, the more they went on, the more Kageyama wished Daichi would call the match good and end it there.

It was one thing when it was just Hinata and Kageyama practicing, but it was another thing altogether when they were practicing with the rest of the team. The spikes were random; Hinata couldn’t block any of them, of course, nor could he receive anything (except for the one time Hinata got hit in the face by a stray ball, but that didn’t count), and even though he and Kageyama had practiced for hours yesterday in an attempt to mark down all of Hinata’s strides, it was different when they were in a game.

Even if it was just a practice game, it was different.

Hinata wasn’t jumping as high as he used to, and he didn’t run as fast, either. Maybe it was a lack of confidence, or maybe it was a fear of running into something or someone by mistake, as he had no idea where he was going.

Either way, Kageyama wanted the practice to end. He wanted it to end, and he wanted it to end right now, before something bad happened. What good was any of this if all Hinata did was get discouraged again?  

Kageyama and Hinata had only gotten a handful of spikes in, and even then they just barely made it over. Kageyama always pinpoint-tossed them, but it still wasn’t working as well as anyone had hoped.

Hinata was beginning to get discouraged. This was obvious, not just to Kageyama, but to everyone on the court. If they kept going like this...who knew what would happen?

Kageyama met eyes with Daichi, on the opposite side of the court, and made a T with his hands. Daichi nodded, and they called a timeout.

“Hinata,” Kageyama said, approaching the spiker; Hinata jumped and whirled around to face Kageyama’s direction. There was sweat running down his face and tears pricking the corners of his clouded eyes.

Hinata rubbed his face with his knuckles. “What?” he choked out.

“Listen,” Kageyama said, raising a hand and carefully putting it on Hinata’s shoulder. Hinata didn’t flinch; he must have been anticipating the contact. “I know you want to play, but maybe you take a break for a few minutes.”

“No!” Hinata shouted all of a sudden, startling Kageyama. Hinata jerked away and, for the first time since the accident, he stared Kageyama right in the eyes. It was by complete coincidence, of course, but still somewhat unsettling.

And the court fell silent.

Hinata calmed down all at once and ducked his head again. He didn’t know it, but the rest of the team was staring at him in shock. Kageyama wanted to shout at them to look away, but didn’t. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like Hinata could see them staring, anyways.

“If I can’t do this…” Hinata began, his voice shaking, “then...then there’s nothing I’m good for. I might as well just quit.”

Kageyama saw Tanaka start forward, but Daichi stopped him at the last second before he had the chance to say anything.

“So please!” Hinata said, clasping his hands together and bowing his head against them. “Let me try it one more time! Bring the ball to me again! I can do it, I promise!”

Kageyama bit his lip. He had faith in Hinata, of course, he always had, but this was...different. It was different this time.

There were only two ways this game could turn out: If Hinata was able to spike the ball like he used to, then his morale would increase explosively. However...if he _wasn’t_ able to spike like he used to...the opposite would occur, and Hinata’s mood would plummet worse than a bird with a broken wing.

_But if we don’t give him a chance,_ Kageyama thought, _won’t that in it of itself crush him?_

He remembered their conversation from before. Or, well, not necessarily a _conversation_ \-- more like a yelling fest.

_“Nothing has changed. You’re going to stand on the court with us, and you’re going to spike my tosses, and we’re going to go to nationals.”_

When he’d said that, he’d meant it. He’d meant it with his entire being, with his whole heart, with his whole mind. He believed in Hinata. He knew he could do it. He’d _have_ to do it, if just for his own sake.

“Okay,” said Kageyama. “We’ll try it again.”

And the game continued, but from then on out, the mood shifted drastically. Hinata missed tosses, like he had done before, but he kept himself going, shouting, “One more! I’ll get it this time!” after each failed attempt.

He still worked as a decoy, too; Tanaka got his own spikes in here and there, but most of today’s practice was focused on Hinata. Even Tanaka noticed it, because he was less verbal than usual and he never once called the ball when Kageyama tossed.

For the longest time, after so many missed spikes, Kageyama was sure they were going nowhere.

Until…

Hinata jumped, right where he should be, and Kageyama tossed to him (a pinpoint toss, of course). Hinata swung his arm, and it lined up with the ball perfectly.

His palm hit the ball, and the ball hit the other side of the court.

Kageyama stared. Hinata hit the ground on his feet, also staring, even though he couldn’t see. The entire gym fell silent once again.

But of course, silence never lasted long on the Karasuno team.

A loud, long, collective “HINATA!!!!” resounded throughout the gym (Tsukishima actually covered his ears, even though he, too, looked proud of Hinata’s accomplishment).

“You did it!” shouted Nishinoya, charging forward and raising his hands. “You did it you did it you did it you did it you did it! High-five!”

Hinata raised his hands, and Nishinoya smacked them.

“I told you you could do it,” said Kageyama. “You idiot.”

“Kageyama!” Hinata shouted, racing towards the setter’s voice. He was beaming, almost insanely, but even so, it was nice to see Hinata smiling like this again. It was refreshing. “We did it! We did it! We did it!”

“Of course we did it,” said Kageyama, but Hinata was no longer listening. He shouted to the next person, yelling, “Sugawara! Did you see that!? We did it!” and then on to the next member of the volleyball team.

Kageyama watched, and a wave of relief crashed over him. _We can do this_ , he thought. _This can work. It’s going to_ have _to work._

They still had a long way to go, of course. This was only one perfectly hit spike out of the dozens Kageyama had tossed.

But even so…

...Everything started with a single step forward, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thanks for reading! I'm still getting used to using this site, so bear with me, 'kay? :) I've got most of this fic already planned out, but if any of you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see in this story, it'd be awesome if you could give them to me through a comment or whatever! :)


	3. The Takeoff

__ From: Stupid Hinata  
_ Re: Oy, Bakayama!   
_ __ Hey Kageyama, my mom and sister have to go do some stuff today but they don’t wanna go unless someone else comes over to watch me. You wanna come over or nah? 

 

Kageyama stared down at his phone, blinking. At first, he wondered how Hinata was able to send the text, being blind and all, but then he berated himself for thinking so. 

_ He can probably still type on his phone just from memory,  _ Kageyama thought,  _ or maybe he got his little sister to help him out.  _

He sent his reply very quickly. 

__ From: Bakayama  
_ Re: Oy, Bakayama!   
_ __ Ok. What time? 

He shut his phone and waited. When it vibrated, he opened it again, reading Hinata’s response. 

__ From: Stupid Hinata  
_ Re: Oy, Bakayama!   
_ __ Um, in 10 minutes…? 

Kageyama blinked.  _ What?  _

* * *

He actually  _ did _ make it there in ten minutes. 

By running. 

It was something he’d never done before and hopefully would never have to do again: run down the long sidewalks all the way to Hinata’s house. About three quarters of the way there, he wondered  _ why _ , but then he brushed it off. 

_ If our situations were reversed, Hinata would do the same thing for me _ . 

That thought alone was enough to keep him running. 

When he arrived at the Hinata residence, he pulled his phone from his pocket, feeling more out of breath than he’d ever felt in his life. He pulled up Hinata’s contact and sent a quick message. 

__ To: Stupid Hinata  
_ Re: Oy, Bakayama!  
_ __ Ok I’m standing outside your house now .

He waited a beat or two, and then he got his response. 

__ To: Bakayama  
_ Re: Oy, Bakayama!  
_ __ Oh wait, seriously? I kind of was joking about the ten minutes thing...

Kageyama seriously considered chucking his phone into the nearest trash can. Or maybe he’d just smash it to the ground instead. It would end faster that way.  

His phone vibrated again. 

__ To: Bakayama  
_ Re: Oy, Bakayama!   
_ __ But thanks for getting here so fast!! :) :) :) Natsu’s coming to get the door for you, so just hang on a sec.

Kageyama sighed. “Idiot,” he muttered, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. A minute later, the door was answered by a tiny girl with bright orange hair and brown eyes. She blinked up at Kageyama. 

It wasn’t the first time Natsu and Kageyama had met each other. Hinata had introduced them, once, after Natsu complained about wanting to meet the “grouchy setter that nii-chan always talked about,” so she knew exactly who he was.

Out of all the little kids he’d met (and he hadn’t met very many of them), Natsu was the only one who hadn’t run away screaming. It was kind of refreshing, to know that at least  _ one  _ little kid wasn’t scared of him.  

“Are you staying with nii-chan today?” Natsu asked him, tilting her head to one side. 

Kageyama nodded. “Yeah.” 

A very serious look suddenly crossed over Natsu’s face, and she pointed one small finger up at Kageyama. “If you do anything to hurt my nii-chan,” she said, almost  _ threateningly _ , “then I’ll hurt you, too.” 

Kageyama blinked.  _ No wonder the kid’s not scared of me, she’s pretty terrifying too.  _

“Okay, I promise,” he said, “I won’t hurt your brother.” 

Natsu nodded firmly, and then she stepped out of the doorway to let Kageyama in. 

* * *

“I don’t think your sister trusts me,” Kageyama told Hinata, once Hinata’s mother and sister had left the house. Hinata was sitting on the couch in their living room, glancing in the general direction of Kageyama’s voice. Laying at his feet was Hinata’s seeing-eye dog, whom he’d named after Kageyama after realizing the dog’s barks sounded suspiciously like “baka.” 

“Um, have you given her a reason to trust you?” Hinata asked, frowning. 

“No,” said Kageyama. 

“Then there you go,” said Hinata idly. “But don’t worry about it too much, she warms up to people fast. I’m sure she’ll trust you after today, as long as you don’t try to murder me or anything.” 

“Why would I try to murder you?” 

Hinata shrugged innocently -- almost  _ too  _ innocently -- and looked away. “Dunno,” he said. “It really makes no sense at all, seeing as how you have such a  _ great  _ personality.” 

Kageyama glared.

“You know something?” said Hinata, turning his head back to him. “I can’t see you at all, but I can almost  _ feel  _ you glaring at me. Maybe I have a sixth sense. Or maybe it’s just my subconscious instincts telling me to watch my back around you.” 

“Believe me, you should  _ definitely  _ watch your back.” 

“See!?” said Hinata, gesturing madly with his hands. “And this is why my sister doesn’t trust you!” 

Kageyama sighed heavily. “I will try to be a little less…” He paused, thinking, looking for the right word. “...Threatening, in the future.” 

Hinata cocked his head. “Really? This should be interesting.” 

“Shut up.” 

“Aaaannnd you’ve already failed.” 

* * *

 

It was strange, hanging out with Hinata outside of school and volleyball. Not necessarily a  _ bad  _ kind of strange, but still strange nonetheless. Kageyama couldn’t remember a time he’d hung out with another friend before. He didn’t quite know what to do in social situations like this, even though it was just him and one other person. 

He and Hinata were currently sitting across from each other on the couch, a large gap between them where a deck of cards sat. Hinata and Kageyama were in the middle of War, and Hinata was winning. 

Of course, Kageyama had to tell him what each card he flipped over actually was, but he didn’t mind. 

“Seven to six,” said Kageyama, handing Hinata the two cards. “You win.” 

“Oh wow, another?” said Hinata. “Are you sure you aren’t just giving me all the cards?” 

“Do you really think I’m the kind of person who would do that?” 

“Not really,” said Hinata, “but it was worth a shot.” 

Hinata flipped over one card, and Kageyama flipped over one as well. “Nine to ten,” said Kageyama, taking the cards. “I win.” 

It went on for a while longer, but it was getting really boring really quickly. 

About three-quarters of the way through the game, Hinata spoke. “Oh! Bakayama! I wanted to show you something!” said Hinata, getting up, leaving his cards on the couch. “Come on, this way!” 

Kageyama got up, and Hinata started off. “Wait, Hinata,” Kageyama said, following him, “are you sure you know where you’re going?” 

“Nope!” said Hinata. “But Natsu helped me count how many steps it takes to get from one room to the other, so I think it’s okay! Let’s see...um...six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven…” 

A few seconds later, he turned -- and walked straight into a door. Kageyama winced, and Hinata took a step back, rubbing his head. “Ow! Dangit, I forgot we kept the office door shut…” 

He reached blindly until he grabbed the doorknob, and then, he stepped into the room. “I’m learning braille!” said Hinata to Kageyama, and then, under his breath, “Okay, four steps to the desk...here it is!” 

Hinata grabbed a small rectangular plaque of the desk and spun around, thrusting it towards Kageyama, looking unbelievably proud of himself. “I bet you don’t know what braille is, do you, Bakayama?” 

“No, I do,” said Kageyama, inspecting the object in Hinata’s hands. Small, raised dots decorated the plaque. “It’s a raised print for people who either can’t see or have a hard time seeing, right?” 

The smile was wiped off Hinata’s face in an instant. “Aw, man!” Hinata groaned, facepalming with one hand. “I thought I’d finally known something you didn’t…”

Kageyama ignored this comment and continued looking at the braille board. It was pretty impressive, actually, and Kageyama respected anyone who could learn it. 

“I’m not giving up!” said Hinata, once again grinning, and he set the plaque back on the office desk. “That’s what this means! I don’t  _ want  _ to give up! I won’t let it stop me!” 

Kageyama watched him. He knew Hinata’s words weren’t necessarily directed to Kageyama, but to himself as well. He was trying to convince himself not to give up, not to be stopped, to keep moving forward. 

“Yeah,” Kageyama agreed, nodding. 

* * *

 

The next day -- a Monday morning. Geez, Kageyama hated Mondays -- Kageyama passed Hinata and his seeing-eye dog in the hall in between classes at school. Hinata’s service dog had gotten used to the school grounds by now and had learned how to lead Hinata depending on where Hinata wanted to go. 

It was pretty incredible, actually. Kageyama would have to mention it again to the team; he was sure they’d love to hear how much getting a seeing-eye dog was helping Hinata.

“Oy, Hinata,” said Kageyama, and Hinata stopped suddenly, turning to look at him. For once, the school’s hallway was empty, with just Hinata, Kageyama, and the dog present. 

“Oh, Kageyama,” said Hinata. And then, he frowned. “Wait, isn’t your class in the other direction?” 

“Yeah,” said Kageyama. “I forgot something in another classroom. I’m going to go get it.” It was a lie, one that Hinata didn’t see through (to Kageyama’s relief). In reality, Kageyama knew Hinata would be coming this way between classes and wanted to make sure he was getting around okay, which he was, apparently, thanks to the seeing-eye dog.   

“Oh, okay,” Hinata said, and it looked like he was about to walk off, but at the last second, he stopped. “Hey, Kageyama, can I ask you something?” 

“Yeah, sure, what?” 

“Um...I was wondering,” said Hinata (the dog sat by his side, waiting obediently for the next time they would move), “just...um...about my eyes…”

Kageyama frowned, already fearing the direction this was going. “Yeah, what about them?” 

“Do they…” Hinata paused again and shifted his weight, sounding and looking very uncomfortable. “Do they look weird?” 

Kageyama looked at Hinata’s eyes, clouded and fogged, a strange mix of gray and blue where brown used to be. He didn’t say anything, but his mind was working overtime. 

_ Why is he suddenly asking this?  _ Kageyama wondered, and then, he thought up an answer. 

He balled his fists. His fury flared. “Did someone tell you they looked weird?” Kageyama growled out. If someone had  _ dared  _ tell Hinata something even remotely  _ like  _ that, well...Kageyama wasn’t quite sure  _ what  _ he would do, but it would probably get him suspended for at least a month. 

“What? Wait, no!” Hinata said, putting up his hands and shaking his head instantly. “No, no one said anything like that! I’m friends with most of the people in my age group, they wouldn’t tell me stuff like that. They’re all really nice and sensitive.” 

It was always pretty obvious when Hinata was lying, and right now, he was definitely  _ not  _ lying. Kageyama felt a little better knowing Hinata wasn’t getting bullied, but at the same time…

“Why are you suddenly wondering this?” Kageyama asked. It wasn’t like Hinata had seen his eyes in a mirror and was wondering what they looked like to everyone else. There had to have been an outside source telling him this information. 

Hinata scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, his other hand still holding onto his dog’s harness. “I bumped into Yachi between classes earlier,” said Hinata slowly, “and she seemed kind of...distracted. I couldn’t figure out why until after I walked away.” 

“You think she got freaked out by your eyes or something?” Kageyama questioned, and Hinata nodded shyly. 

Okay, well, sure, Kageyama been a little bit unsettled when he first saw Hinata’s blind eyes, but that was only because of the fact that Hinata was  _ blind _ . The actual state of Hinata’s eyes didn’t bother him that much, but he could understand why Yachi would be distracted by Hinata’s eyes (or maybe even a little bit unsettled).  

Even though Yachi would never do anything to intentionally hurt anybody’s feelings, least of all Hinata’s, Kageyama knew that this most recent development hurt Hinata a lot more than he was letting on. 

“...They’re different,” said Kageyama finally, answering Hinata’s initial question. “They’re different, but no, I don’t think they look weird.” 

Hinata blinked at him, and then turned his head towards the ground again. “You’re not just saying that to be nice, are you?” he asked. 

Kageyama opened his mouth to speak, but Hinata beat him to the punch. 

“Nevermind, you don’t need to answer that, I already know,” said Hinata, shaking his head. “Thanks, Kageyama!” He started walking, his dog got up, and they headed back down the hall, leaving Kageyama in their wake. 

It took Kageyama a second, but then he realized the extent of Hinata’s words. 

“IDIOT, ARE YOU SAYING I’M NOT NICE!? I’M PLENTY NICE!” 

“Oh, is that so? Well, tell me again when you can back it up!” 

“HINATA!”  

* * *

The team practiced again in the gym the same day after school, and this match was much different from their last match. Kageyama’s tosses matched with Hinata’s spike almost seventy percent of the time, and each time, Hinata did a small victory cheer before launching right back into the game. 

They were doing great. Everything was fine. Hinata was blocked by Tsukishima a few times, but for the most part, whenever Kageyama thought Hinata would be blocked, he’d send it to a different spiker, leaving Hinata to fill in the position of decoy (the position he filled in best). 

Once or twice, Nishinoya of the opposite side would manage to receive one of Hinata’s spikes, but they were seldom in number. 

At first, Kageyama had worried the team would hold back, would purposefully not block Hinata’s spikes, or purposefully miss receiving balls that would be easy to receive, but the team was giving it their all, like they always did. 

It was like nothing had changed. 

_ It’s a good thing,  _ said Kageyama, setting the ball to Hinata, who spiked it hard against the other side of the court.  _ I’m sure if they were holding back, Hinata would figure it out sooner or later. They aren’t pitying him; at least not on the outside.  _

Kageyama knew Hinata appreciated this, probably more than he’d ever let on. 

Yachi and Kiyoko weren’t present for this practice (they were at an all-club managers’ meeting and couldn’t make it) but everyone else was, so it was a very thorough practice for everyone involved. 

Kageyama set the ball to Tanaka, and Tanaka pulled through, like he always did, landing another perfect spike on the other side of the court. Tanaka cheered, Hinata joined him, and they were right back to it. 

Everything was going perfectly today. They were all practicing, Hinata was getting his spikes in, Nishinoya was doing insane dives to catch stray balls, Sugawara was setting to Asahi and Daichi, and of course everyone else was also doing their best. 

This was probably one of the most successful practices they’d had in a while. So far, the only things Hinata really struggled with was serving, and of course he couldn’t receive, but that was okay. They could deal with that. 

The fact that Hinata was standing on the court with the rest of them was enough. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So anyways the next chapter is going to be...mostly angst, actually. I’m sorry but I have to do it for the story’s sake. And the next chapter’s gonna be closer to the length of the first chapter, so, yeah. Probably somewhere between 4,000 and 8,000 words, I dunno. 
> 
> I hope you guys keep reading, and if you keep giving me ideas it’ll probably end up being a longer story as a whole. 
> 
> OH, and I think the next chapter is gonna be partially in Hinata’s POV, so we’ll get a new viewpoint for a little while. :) 
> 
> Anyways, thank you guys for reading! Until the next chapter! :)


	4. The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to warn everybody before this chapter. At first I wasn't going to because of a sort-of spoiler, but then I thought it was important, so here it is: there are graphic descriptions of a panic attack in this chapter. If you're uncomfortable reading such material, feel free to skip this chapter/use discretion while reading. Just wanted to let everybody know.

 

After practice, while Hinata was in the club room, his phone rang. No one else was around; no one else but his service dog, whom he’d nicknamed Kags (because it was hard to keep track of two Kageyamas). Hinata frowned and pulled his phone from his pocket; Kags sat obediently by his side, waiting.

Hinata couldn’t see the contact, of course, so he flipped his phone open and blindly pressed the “OK” button (he’d used his phone often enough in the past to know where it was).

He held the phone to his ear, waiting. “Hello?”

“ _ Hi Shōyō, it’s Kenma _ , _ ”  _ the voice on the other end of the line said, and instantly, Hinata brightened up. It’d been so long since he’d heard from Kenma, and it was especially rare to get a  _ call  _ from him. Kenma was far more of a texting person than he was a talking person.

“Oh! Kenma!” said Hinata, his mood brightened just a bit. “How are you?”

“ _ I’m fine,”  _ said Kenma quietly.  _ “You haven’t been answering my texts like you usually do, so...I wanted to check up on you and make sure you were okay. Are you?” _

Hinata blanched. His mood plummeted. “O-Oh…” he said. “Um, yeah, I’m okay…”

He hadn’t told Kenma about the accident. Really the only people who knew about the accident outside his family were his school and his team, but no one else. He hadn’t told Kenma, or anyone at Nekoma.

Honestly...he hadn’t really known how to. Hinata was still trying to accept the fact that he was blind, and he wasn’t ready to go telling other people about it, because if it did, it would mean that he’d accepted it, and he wasn’t ready to accept it yet.

The entire world as he knew it was just suddenly…

_...Gone _ .

He hadn’t had much time to think about it. Hadn’t  _ given  _ himself much time to think about it. He tried to pretend it hadn’t happened, but there was no denying the truth. There was no denying the thing that was right before him.

No denying the fact that he couldn’t actually  _ see  _ anything right before him.

And besides, even if he  _ was  _ ready to accept reality, there was no right way to bring it up in conversation. He couldn’t just text Kenma and say “Oh by the way, I’m blind now, so how’s the weather?” There was no good way to bring it up.

But now, Kenma had subconsciously brought it up by asking Hinata whether or not he was okay.

“Actually, Kenma…” Hinata backtracked, “there’s...there’s something I kinda need to tell you.”

_ “Okay. What is it?”  _ That was something Hinata had always appreciated about Kenma. He was never demanding, always quick to listen and slow to speak. It was a good trait, one Hinata respected.

“Um...well...a while ago,” Hinata said, biting his lip. “There was...um...sort of an accident.”

_ “‘Sort of’ an accident?” _

“Um, no, there  _ was  _ an accident,” Hinata clarified. “You see, it was late, and me and a couple of the guys from Karasuno were heading down the road, and, um…” He stopped for a moment, wondering whether he should continue. “...I was kind of hit by a car.”

Silence.

_ “You were...hit by a car?”  _ Kenma sounded disbelieving, and rightfully so. After all, it wasn’t every day your friend told you they’d been hit by a car.

“Um, yeah, I was,” said Hinata.

“ _ You’re serious,”  _ said Kenma.  _ “You’re a goofball, but you wouldn’t kid around about something like this. Are...are you okay now?” _

Hinata shook his head even though he knew Kenma couldn’t see it over the phone.  _ Here it goes. There’s no backing out on it now.  _ “Not exactly,” he said. “I’m...I-I’m...blind.”

There. It was out. He hadn’t wanted to say it. Hadn’t wanted to be the one to spill the truth to Kenma, but the reality of it was true nonetheless.

_ I’m blind. Not sort of blind, either, but completely one-hundred percent blind. _

He waited, feeling his breath hitch. Kenma hadn’t replied, and for some reason, this just made Hinata feel worse. “K-Kenma?” he asked hesitantly. “D-Did you hear me?” Oh, he really, really hoped Kenma heard him the first time because he really, really,  _ really  _ didn’t want to repeat it.

There was more silence.

“ _ I’m coming over.” _

Hinata jumped, just slightly. For a moment, he’d thought Kenma had hung up. “Y-You’re what?” Hinata asked.

“ _ I said I’m coming over,”  _ said Kenma.  _ “To see you.” _

“W-Wait,” Hinata protested, “you don’t have to do that, you have school and practice and--”

“ _ You’re more important. I should be there tomorrow or the next day after that. Don’t bother meeting me at the station or anything, either.” _

“W-Wait, Kenma--”

“ _ Bye, Shōyō.” _

_ Click. _

Hinata had opened his mouth to retort, but the call was terminated before he even had the chance to. He stared down at his phone in his hand -- neither of which he could see anymore -- and his mind raced.

_ Now I’ve worried Kenma,  _ he thought, gritting his teeth.  _ First everyone from Karasuno, and now Kenma. What’s next? _

He felt so...so... _ lost _ . Lost in a sea of darkness, only this time, there was no resurfacing. This was a sea he would continue to be in, possibly for the rest of his life.

He hadn’t fully grasped the reality of the situation until this moment, and now, at this exact moment, everything --  _ everything  _ \-- came crashing down around him.

He dropped his phone, buried his face in his hands and stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over Kags in the process. He hit the wall and sank to the ground, pulling his knees tight against his chest and burying his face against them.

_ I’m blind _ , Hinata thought, and his heartbeat increased dramatically until it was pounding in his ears, every beat sounding like an amplified drum.  _ I’m blind I’m blind I’m blind and everyone’s always worried about me because I’m blind I’m useless to the team I can’t receive I can’t serve I can barely spike I can’t do it I can’t do it I can’t do it-- _

And suddenly, he couldn’t breathe. He tried breathing, he really did, but it was like there were metal bands wrapped around his chest. A lump clogged his throat and  _ he couldn’t breathe he couldn’t breathe he couldn’t breathe. _

Kags was frenzied, nuzzling Hinata over and over and over again, but Hinata couldn’t focus on him anymore. Couldn’t focus on  _ anything  _ anymore. He just sat there, alone, in the darkness of his own reality with his chest constricted and his thoughts racing.

_ I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m going to die. _

He couldn’t breathe he couldn’t breathe  _ he couldn’t breathe _ and he didn’t know  _ why  _ and it was terrifying. He couldn’t see anything. Just a vast expanse of darkness that stretched on forever. That was all he could see. There was no Sugawara, there was no Daichi, there was no Nishinoya or Tanaka or Narita or Ennoshita or Yachi or Asahi or Kageyama or  _ anyone _ .

It was just him alone in this darkness, and the darkness was closing in on him even more than before. He still couldn’t breathe. He literally felt like he was going to die. His thoughts suddenly didn’t make sense anymore, and the only thing he knew was the ever existing and impending darkness. It was both already there, and lurking, waiting to swallow him up and it was  _ terrifying _ .

_ I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t breathe– _

He wanted to scream. Couldn’t. He wanted to breathe. Couldn’t. He wanted to  _ see again. _ Couldn’t.

_ Please, someone… _

_...Help me… _

* * *

_ Hinata’s been gone for a while _ , Kageyama though, as he headed down the door-lined hallway towards the club room.  _ Wasn’t he just grabbing his jacket? It shouldn’t be taking him this long… _

But considering it was Hinata, Kageyama knew he shouldn’t have been all that surprised. Hinata had taken  _ ages  _ to do tasks that would take a normal person five minutes.

_ So why do I feel so...uneasy?  _ Kageyama wondered to himself. Was it because Hinata was blind now? Kageyama didn’t want to think about it, but now...Hinata was  _ disabled _ . And Kageyama was, admittedly, a bit worried by the fact that he hadn’t returned to the gym yet.

When he made it to the club room, he opened the door without hesitation.

And then, he stared at the sight before his eyes in complete shock -- and maybe a little bit of horror.

Hinata, his knees held impossibly tight to his chest, was shaking, pressed against the club room’s far wall. The service dog was nudging him, but to no effect. It was like Hinata didn’t even know he was there. 

Kageyama hadn’t seen Hinata look this bad since…

_ Since Hinata was unconscious in the hospital, right after the accident. _

For a moment, Kageyama stood there, staring.

And then, that moment ended.

“Hinata!” he shouted, and he charged over instantly, not knowing what to do but wanting to do  _ something _ . He didn’t know what was wrong, either, but whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t  _ good _ .

“Hinata, what’s wrong!?” Kageyama demanded, grabbing Hinata by the shoulders before he could think twice. Hinata flinched and jumped more violently than ever before, and he stared up into Kageyama’s face, almost as if he could really see it.

“I...I can’t…” Hinata choked out words, but they were so broken Kageyama could barely make them out. Kageyama’s heart rate increased. This. Was.  _ Bad _ .

“You can’t what? Hinata,  _ talk to me!”  _ Kageyama snapped, angry because he was scared, and Hinata jumped again.

“I c-can’t...breathe…”

Kageyama paled.  _ Please tell me he didn’t just say what I think he just said _ .

But the longer he looked at Hinata, the more sense it made. Kageyama had an idea of what was happening. He’d heard about panic attacks before, but this was the first time he’d witnessed one, and it was terrifying.

“ _ SUGAWARA! DAICHI! ANYBODY!”  _ Kageyama yelled as loudly as he possibly could, because he didn’t know what to do in this situation but he was sure there was someone on the Karasuno team who did. Kageyama just prayed that someone had heard him because if they didn’t…

“It’s okay, Hinata, it’s okay,” Kageyama said, trying to sound as calming as he could (which wasn’t easy as he wanted to yank at his hair and scream for all he was worth). He carefully put his arms around the shorter and held fast.

He hadn’t been there for Hinata when the accident first happened, but he’d give up volleyball before he let Hinata suffer alone again.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay…”

He knew he was bad at this. He’d never been good with people in  _ good  _ situations, let alone  _ this  _ one. This situation far surpassed “bad” or even “horrible.” This situation was in a category all of its own.

But whether he was good or bad at it or not, at this point, he must have been enough, because Hinata clung to him like Kageyama was the only thing anchoring him to the world.

Kageyama wondered what kind of panic had driven Hinata to this state. He wondered what it would be like, to have darkness as your reality without being able to see any of the people you cared about. To not be one-hundred percent sure whether or not they were actually  _ there _ .

Hinata’s breaths were short and sharp and they hadn’t improved at all since Kageyama barreled into the club room, and now the setter’s panic was intensifying.  _ Where’re Sugawara and Daichi when you need them!?  _ he thought, his panic becoming anger which he aimed at anyone and anything that came to mind.

“Please breathe, please breathe,  _ breathe, you idiot…” _

Then, Kageyama remembered he had his phone on him and mentally thanked his past-self of five minutes ago for not leaving it in the gym. He whipped it out as fast as he possibly could and dialed the first number that came to mind: Daichi’s.

There were a total of two and a half rings before Daichi picked up.  _ “Hello--” _

“DAICHI!” Kageyama yelled into his phone. He felt Hinata jump and heard him yelp, but he didn’t calm down. He was a too freaked at the moment to even  _ think  _ about calming down. “DAICHI, I’M IN THE CLUB ROOM, YOU HAVE TO GET OVER HERE!”

On the other end, he heard commotion, and then footsteps. Fast, heavy footsteps. Daichi (and probably the rest of the team) was running.

“ _ Kageyama, calm down, what’s going on--?” _

“I DON’T KNOW!” Kageyama yelled back. “HINATA’S HAVING SOME SORT OF ATTACK,  _ I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!” _

“ _ Kageyama, you have to calm down--” _

“CALM DOWN!?” Kageyama could have laughed.  _ Calm down?  _ Yeah right. He’d calm down and the ocean would dry up. “HOW DO I CALM DOWN!?”

“ _ Kageyama, LISTEN!”  _ Daichi yelled, and when Daichi told you to listen, you listened (if you valued your life at all). Kageyama snapped his mouth shut, too terrified -- for many reasons -- to say anything else.  _ “You need to calm down! If Hinata is really having an attack like you said, then you need to calm down! Right now! You’re just making it harder on him by panicking!” _

Kageyama took this to heart, and nodded mutely, trying to put Daichi’s words into play. He took deep, calming breaths and tried to clear his head enough to think properly, and once he could, a lot of things were put into perspective.

“Okay,” said Kageyama. “What do I do?”

“ _ Talk to him. Try and get him to calm down. We're on our way. Don't worry.” _

“...Alright,” said Kageyama, and he hung up so he could focus on Hinata.  _ Daichi and the others will be here soon _ , Kageyama thought.  _ Just stay calm until then. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. _

“Calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down…” He found himself chanting this, both to Hinata and to himself (but mostly to Hinata). “Just calm down.”

Hinata was trembling so hard it was almost unnatural, and the only thing he ever said was a broken, desperate, “I-I can’t b-breathe--”

“I know it feels like that,” said Kageyama firmly, “but you can breathe. You have to breathe. Relax and breathe, that’s all you need to do.”

It was something so simple but at the same time so difficult. It took what felt like forever before Hinata finally started to breathe relatively normally again. By this time, Kageyama was wondering just what the heck was taking the rest of the team so long to get here.

“I w-want to see,” Hinata suddenly sobbed quietly, his voice shuddering and shaking, and he buried his face against Kageyama’s shoulder. “I j-just w-want to s-s-see again.”

Kageyama sucked in a sharp breath, feeling his chest tie into knots. “...I know.”

“It’s a-all I want.”

“I know.”

“I w-want it b-back.”

“I know.  _ I know. _ ”

He knew, and it made him feel like someone was driving a knife into his gut and twisting it. Not for the first time, Kageyama wished it’d been him instead of Hinata. He wished Hinata hadn’t been such a selfless idiot and put himself in danger when it should have been Kageyama’s doom.

Hinata didn’t deserve this. Was the world really such a cruel, twisted place?

Of course, Kageyama already knew the answer.

_ Yes. Yes it is. _

The rest of the team got there just a few seconds later, in a flurry of panic, everyone talking at once until Sugawara shushed them. By that time, Hinata was out cold -- passed out or sleeping, Kageyama didn’t really know.

But it didn't really matter.

At least...

...At least he was in peace.

* * *

During his panic attack, Hinata hadn’t been fully aware of anything, but the one thing he was able to make out in the midst of all the chaos in his mind was Kageyama’s voice, angry at first and then uncharacteristically soft. He hadn’t been aware of much in that darkness, but he was pretty sure that if Kageyama hadn’t shown up when he did, Hinata would be back in the hospital -- or maybe even worse.

After the incident in the club room, Hinata’s mother picked him up and took him home, and that was how he came to be by himself up in his room on his bed that late afternoon, his head pounding and his chest still somewhat tight.

That fear, that panic...he never wanted to feel it again. He still hadn’t fully recovered from it, either. He wondered, briefly, what he would do if it happened again in the middle of the night, if couldn’t breathe and thereby couldn’t call for help.

He rolled over on his side, pulling his blanket over his head.  _ I’m tired of being afraid _ , Hinata thought.  _ I’m tired of worrying everyone. I’m tired of crying. I’m tired of...of… _

Truth be told, he was tired of  _ everything _ .

The only real comfort he currently had was Kags, his service dog. Hinata couldn’t see him, but he could hear the dog’s breath as he slept on the floor beside Hinata’s bed. Kags had been a gift from his teammates, and whenever the dog was with him, even if no one else was, Hinata felt like a small part of his team was with him, too.

It was a special, comforting kind of feeling amidst all his fear and inner turmoil.

He was tired, but he couldn’t sleep. His head hurt, and his chest did, too. So he stayed awake, listening to Kags breathing and trying to match it with his own. He didn’t want to do anything else, not now at least.

Although there was peace in the room, there was chaos within him.

Then, the outer peace was broken by the sound of his phone ringing from his nightstand. Hinata opened his eyes -- not that it made a difference -- and pulled the blanket off his head, sitting up. Kags perked up for a second, and then laid down again when he realized Hinata wasn’t actually getting up.

Hinata reached over blindly, grabbing his phone. Once again, he flipped it open without knowing who the caller was.

“Hello? Who is it?”

“ _ Take a guess, idiot.” _

Hinata jumped. Out of all the people that could have been calling him, he hadn’t expected Kageyama.

“Oh, it’s you,” said Hinata, feeling suddenly awkward. The last time Kageyama saw him, he’d been passed out in the back of his mother’s car (according to Natsu), and right before that, in the middle of a vicious panic attack.

Hinata still had to thank him for his help, but he’d do it a little later. Right now, he would really rather  _ not  _ think about what had happened earlier today.

“ _ So. You doing okay?”  _ Kageyama questioned, and Hinata felt vaguely like he was being interrogated -- but then again, he kind of  _ always  _ felt that way when Kageyama asked him a question.

“Um, yeah, I’m fine,” said Hinata, and it wasn’t really a lie. He was feeling better than earlier. “My head kinda hurts, but I’m okay.” He paused. “Listen, Kageyama, about earlier---”

“ _ I’m coming over.” _

Hinata jumped, then paused. “Wha?”

“ _ You scared the living crap out of me. Again. I won’t be able to sleep tonight anyway, so I’m coming over.” _

Hinata still couldn’t process this information. Something just wasn’t clicking. “Wait, you’re doing  _ what  _ again?”

He wasn’t positive, but he was pretty sure he heard Kageyama growl. Not groan or sigh, but  _ actually growl _ .  _ “Idiot, how many times are you gonna make me say it!? I’M COMING OVER SO YOU DON’T FREAK OUT AGAIN AND  _ DIE,  _ YOU IDIOT!” _

Hinata deadpanned.  _ What? _

“ _ You’re still sleeping upstairs, aren’t you!? You couldn’t even hardly talk to me earlier, so how are you gonna call to your family if you need someone!?”  _ Kageyama was still yelling at him, still as furious as before.  _ “I’m gonna come over and you’re gonna deal with it, alright!?” _

“Wait, you mean...like a sleepover?”

“ _ IDIOT! DON’T MAKE IT SOUND STUPID! I’M JUST GONNA BE THERE SO YOU DON’T DIE ON EVERYONE!” _

Hinata jumped involuntarily, pulling his phone away from his ear. “Could you please stop yelling?” he said, just slightly annoyed. “And seriously, I’m actually not an idiot, Bakayama.”

He’d half expected Kageyama to yell right back at him again, but instead, it seemed the setter actually calmed down.

“ _ Fine. I won’t yell. But I’m still coming over.” _

“That’s...erm...kind of terrifying, actually.”

“ _ You’re gonna have to live with it.” _

“We don’t have any kind of spare futon or anything--”

“ _ The floor is fine.” _

“I'd feel like a bad host--”

“ _ It’s not like you invited me or anything. I don’t care.” _

“You really don’t have to.”

“ _ I’m going to.” _

Hinata frowned, biting the inside of his cheek. “I’m sure I’ll be fine…”

“ _ Yeah, maybe, but I don’t know that. It’s fine, seriously. Don’t people usually have sleepovers, anyway?” _

“Um, yeah,” said Hinata, “friends do, sometimes...”

“ _ So it’s fine,”  _ said Kageyama.  _ “Well, that’s all. I’ll be over in an hour or two.”  _

“...Okay,” said Hinata, nodding. “I’ll see you then, Bakayama.” 

_ “Sure, idiot.”  _

_ Click _ . 

Hinata set his phone back on the nightstand and laid back, staring upwards, towards the ceiling he couldn’t see.  __

It was kind of refreshing, the fact that even though Kageyama was definitely more protective of him as of late, the setter wasn’t treating him any differently. They still argued, and Kageyama still called him “idiot” and Hinata still called him “Bakayama.” 

In times like these, Hinata liked to pretend that things hadn’t changed at all. 

Because now, nothing would ever be the same again. 

He buried his face in his pillow and sobbed. 

* * *

Hinata was tired of trying so hard to get by. He was tired of having to count his steps on the court. He was tired of relying on a service animal to get him through school to his different classes. Even around his own  _ home _ , he relied on Kags for the most part. 

He wanted things to go back to the way they were before. He wanted to go back to spiking Kageyama’s tosses effortlessly, just like he used to. He wanted to go back to skipping through the halls between classes, maybe bumping into Yachi and having her help him with his studying. He wanted to go back to reading -- normal reading, not listening to an audiobook or using braille. 

He just wanted things to back to the way they were before…

Before he was  _ blinded _ . 

Today was a bad day.  _ He _ was having a bad day. 

The day after his panic attack, he went to school, like he usually did, with Kags the service dog leading the way. After that came practice at the gym with the rest of the gang. He didn’t necessarily want to go, but he didn’t want to miss it, either. 

In the past, volleyball had been sort of an escape when the rest of the world seemed against him. He was failing his grades? He’d go play volleyball. He had a bad day? He’d go play volleyball. Someone was a jerk? He’d go play volleyball. 

But now volleyball was more of a challenge than an escape and he didn’t know how to deal with it yet. Maybe he’d never know how to deal with it? 

It didn’t matter, anyways. Not anymore. 

Practice was...awful. He tried and failed so many spikes it was ridiculous. He was pretty sure that even when he was little, when he was just learning how to spike, he didn’t miss this many. 

It was pathetic. He felt pathetic, and though he couldn’t see them, he knew the rest of the team was constantly watching him, probably making sure he didn’t run into something or someone. 

Hinata hated it. He hated them worrying. He hated being the center of attention. Okay, so when he was decoy on the court, sure, that was different. He didn’t mind being in the spotlight  _ then  _ because in that situation being in the spotlight was his  _ job _ . 

But right now...he was the center of attention because he was  _ different _ . Because he was  _ disabled _ . 

He didn’t know why, but...it hurt. It hurt  _ a lot _ . It hurt more than he would ever admit to anyone else. 

Practice didn’t end soon enough. Or maybe it actually ended sooner than usual? He didn’t know and he didn’t care. If it ended earlier than usual, it was because someone -- probably Daichi or Sugawara -- had decided to end it because of him. Because he was struggling through it. 

_ Which means it’s my fault everyone else missed out on practice time.  _

“Is it alright if we stay behind and practice some more?” Kageyama’s voice carried over Hinata’s thoughts. Kageyama didn’t specify who “we” was, but Hinata assumed he meant himself and Hinata. “I promise I’ll lock up.” 

There was a pause, and then Daichi said, “Alright. Don’t stay out too late,” and Kageyama agreed, and there were footsteps and shuffling until finally, the gym’s doors closed behind the rest of the team, signaling their departure. 

“What’s with you today?” Kageyama asked Hinata once they were alone. Kageyama didn’t sound angry or frustrated, but genuinely confused. “Something up?”  

Hinata swallowed. Didn’t answer. 

“Listen...I know we’ve never been close ‘friends’, exactly,” Kageyama started, “but you can tell me anything. If something’s wrong--”

“There’s nothing wrong,” Hinata said, trying to sound as lighthearted as possible, and he even flashed a smile, one he hoped didn’t look as fake as it felt. “I’m fine, really.” 

“You keep saying that,” said Kageyama, sounding irritated, “but I still don’t believe you. Before this, I thought that if you said you were fine, then that was it, and I left you alone. After all, it wasn’t my business. But now it’s different. If you’re pretending you’re fine just because you don’t want to feel like you’re burdening us...that’s different.”   

Hinata didn’t like this. He didn’t like Kageyama worrying about him. It felt so weird and so  _ wrong _ . Kageyama shouldn’t be worrying about him. He’d never worried before, so why did he have to worry now? 

Something suddenly snapped inside him, and his built-up frustration came boiling to the surface in a string of loud words. 

“ _ STOP TREATING ME LIKE I’M HELPLESS!”  _ Hinata shouted in the direction of Kageyama’s voice. 

He wasn’t sure who was more shocked by the outburst, him or Kageyama, but he decided it didn’t matter. 

“THERE’S NOTHING WRONG!” he yelled, feeling both furious and sad both at once. It was an odd combination. “I SAID I’M FINE SO JUST  _ LEAVE ME ALONE!”  _

His voice cracked, and his eyes stung.  _ I’m so tired of crying. Please just make this stop.  _

“Hinata, you and I both know that’s just a load of crap!” Kageyama yelled at him, and suddenly there were hands on his shoulders, shaking him. “You’re  _ not  _ fine and you know it! Why else do you think we’re all so worried about you,  _ you idiot!? _ ” 

Kageyama’s voice cracked, too. This startled Hinata more than anything. 

“Nishinoya and Tanaka, Daichi, Sugawara, Yamaguchi,  _ freaking Tsukishima _ ... _ everyone _ ...even me!” Kageyama said. “You’re important to every single one of us, you idiot! We  _ care  _ about you!” 

He heard Kageyama clench his teeth and breathe in sharply. 

“So why do you keep trying to push us all away!?” Kageyama asked him, sounding almost  _ desperate _ . “Why? What for? Do you think if you lie long and hard enough we’ll start to believe it!? Who do you think you’re helping by keeping us in the dark like this!?” 

“This isn’t your problem!” Hinata countered, shifting his feet into an almost fighting stance. “It doesn’t involve anyone else! This is my problem and my problem to deal with!  _ It has nothing to do with you!” _

“ _ You’re wrong!”  _ Kageyama yelled, shaking him again. “You’re  _ wrong _ , you  _ idiot!  _ When you’re suffering, it doesn’t just affect you! It affects everyone who cares about you, so don’t you  _ dare  _ say it has nothing to do with us! You’re fighting a battle and we don’t want you to do it alone!  _ We want to help you, idiot, so stop pushing us away!”  _

“I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!” Hinata yelled, and he jerked back, trying to yank himself out of Kageyama’s hold. But Kageyama held fast, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break free. Kageyama had always been the stronger of the two, so Hinata never really stood a chance.  

“Let me go, Kageyama!” 

“No, I won’t!” Kageyama shouted, squeezing his shoulders even tighter. “Not until you listen to me!” 

“No!  _ Stop!” _ Hinata screamed, choking mid-way. \  _ Stop crying stop crying stop crying stop crying.  _ “This isn’t something you can  _ fix _ , Kageyama! You can’t  _ do anything  _ for me so just  _ go away!”  _

He hated this. It was a problem he couldn’t fix, something that couldn’t be helped, something that, no matter what he or anyone else did, would never be resolved. 

He was blind. There would be no changing that, now or in the future. There was no escaping this dark reality no matter how much he wanted to. This darkness was his entire world now and he didn’t know how to cope with it. 

He was trying. He was failing. And he was lying, and he knew it, and so did Kageyama.

But he still didn’t back down. 

_ “I’M FINE! I SAID I’M FINE, KAGEYAMA!”  _

_ I’m lying _ . 

“I DON’T WANT YOUR HELP! I NEVER WANTED YOUR HELP!” 

_ I’m lying _ . 

“SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” 

_ I don’t want to be alone _ .  

“NONE OF YOU CAN HELP ME!” 

_ Please help me _ . 

_ “FORGET ABOUT ME! I’M USELESS NOW, SO WHY DON’T YOU JUST GIVE UP!? ”  _

_...Like I already have.  _

He expected Kageyama to say something. He expected Kageyama to yell at him, to continue the argument like the setter would do any other day, to maybe physically knock some sense into him…

But Kageyama didn’t do any of that. He actually didn’t say or do  _ anything _ , and frankly, his silence was the most stunning thing about this. 

The gym, usually such a lively place, now echoed the screams of a suffering, sobbing teenager. And the silence that came afterwards was the most shocking thing of all. 

Neither Kageyama or Hinata did anything for the longest moment. 

And then suddenly, Kageyama’s arms were around him tightly. Hinata jumped without thinking about it, shocked and confused both at once. Honestly, if Kageyama had smacked him him, Hinata would have been  _ less  _ confused and shocked than he was now. 

He’d been expecting a lot of things from Kageyama. 

But a  _ hug  _ definitely wasn’t one of them. 

He didn’t react. Didn’t move at all, actually. He just stood there, feeling trapped and constricted but also somehow  _ secure  _ in Kageyama’s embrace. He didn’t understand how someone so terrifying could also make him feel so safe. 

But even so…

“Let me go,” Hinata said -- or, actually, he pleaded, more like. His voice was small and hoarse from yelling. He was sure he sounded pathetic. 

Kageyama’s answer came right away. “No.” 

“Please let me go,” Hinata tried again. He wanted Kageyama to let go of him,  _ right now,  _ because if he didn’t let go Hinata didn’t think he’d be able to keep what was left of his composure intact.  

But Kageyama was stubborn. “No.” 

“J-Just let me go.” 

“I refuse.” 

“Please.” 

“No. Not until you listen to me.” 

And Hinata fell silent. 

“...You’re not useless, and we’re not giving up on you,” Kageyama said quietly. “Even if you asked us to, we wouldn’t even consider it for a second. I don’t think you understand how hard it is for us to watch you suffer in silence. We’re all sick of watching you pretend you’re happy and ‘fine’ when you’re obviously  _ not _ .” 

“...It’s useless,” Hinata said lowly. “You guys have lives. I’ll slow you down. It’s not worth it--” 

“You’re wrong,” Kageyama interrupted him. “You’re  _ wrong _ , Hinata. It doesn’t matter if the payoff’s ‘worth it’ or not. It doesn’t even matter if there  _ is  _ a payoff. We’re not doing this because we think we’re going to get something in return. You’re our friend and that’s enough.  _ You’re  _ worth it.” 

Hinata didn’t know what to say now. What  _ could  _ he say now?

“Do you understand it now, idiot?” Kageyama snapped, but his voice was thick and strained. “We know you’re not fine. We’ve always known, and that’s  _ okay _ . It’s  _ okay  _ to not be happy. It’s okay to not be fine. It’s okay to not be  _ okay _ . But what’s  _ not  _ okay is you shutting yourself away and  _ pretending  _ you’re something you’re not.  _ That’s not okay _ .” 

Kageyama was right. He was  _ right _ . Hinata knew it from experience. He knew it from sleepless nights, from crying until he threw up, from fear, from anxiety, from just how blatantly  _ hard  _ it was to keep up a facade. 

“It’s not okay to bottle everything up until you literally  _ drive yourself into a panic attack _ ,” Kageyama told him firmly. “You just...you just end up hurting yourself. And us too. A whole lot more than you realize.” 

Hinata understood now. Finally, he understood it. 

He wasn’t alone in this battle. In some strange way, it was like volleyball. He couldn’t fight on his own. He needed a team. He needed his friends. 

This was the hardest challenge he’d ever faced, and now he realized that he didn’t have to face it alone anymore. He wasn’t alone. He’d  _ never been alone  _ in the first place. 

They were there. His team, his friends, they were  _ there  _ for him, before and now and forever into the future. They weren’t going to give up on him. They weren’t going to let go. 

“And, Hinata…” 

Kageyama was still talking. 

“...It’s okay to cry, too.” 

And with those words, Hinata finally broke. His facade crashed to the ground as though it’d never existed and he  _ cried _ . He cried like he’d never cried before and he wasn’t ashamed by it, not anymore. 

It was okay to be weak. It was okay to not always have the answers. It was okay to rely on others. It was okay to cry. He wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by people who cared about him and would help him when he was at his lowest. 

_ I’m not alone _ . 

And it could have just been his imagination, but he was pretty sure Kageyama was crying, too. 

* * *

Hinata laid on his bed, facing the ceiling, with Kags lying right beside him. It was late. His mother and sister had already gone to bed downstairs about an hour or two after Kageyama walked Hinata home. Hinata didn’t know what time it was now, but it had to be sometime after ten or eleven. 

But he didn’t know. 

On his nightstand, he heard his phone  _ buzz  _ (it was still on vibrate from practice earlier) and, curious, he reached over and grabbed it blindly. He flicked it open and held it to his ear. 

_ “You have three new messages,”  _ the automated voice on his phone told him. He paused, thinking. Voicemails? It’d been a long time since he’d gotten a voicemail, let alone three. He pressed the “ok” button and moved the phone back to his ear, listening. 

_ First new message, from Yamaguchi Tadashi, at 8:37 PM. _

_ “Hi, Hinata! It’s Yamaguchi. Erm, so, you seemed like you were having a bad day, so I just wanted to let you know I’m always here if you need someone to talk to. I know I don’t give the best advice, but I’m still here to talk. Call me any time, I promise I’ll be there. Okay, that’s all. Talk to you later.”  _

The message ended there. Hinata blinked a couple times at the phone, and then pushed a button blindly. 

_ Message saved. New message, from Nishinoya-Senpai, at 8:43 PM. _

_ “Yo, Shōyō! Just wanted to let you know you’re pretty amazing, persevering through practice like that. Honestly, you’re really brave. Sorry, that was random. Anyways, I’ve decided to call in sick tomorrow, so if you’re not busy we can hang out. I’ll get you an ice cream.”  _

The message ended. 

_ Message saved. New message, from Sugawara Kōshi, at 9:04 PM.  _

_ “Hello, Hinata. Sorry for calling so late, you’re probably resting. I just wanted to say I’m here to talk if you need somebody. Don’t be afraid to call me. Oh, and Daichi says if you don’t feel like coming to the club tomorrow, that’s okay and don’t worry about it. We need a break, anyway. Alright then, I’ll see you later. Bye.”  _

_ Message saved. You have no new messages.  _

Hinata closed his phone and set it down on the nightstand again, a small smile on his face. 

Before, he’d have been shocked by the messages, fearing that he’d burdened his friends yet again. 

But now, ever since talking to Kageyama, ever since he finally began to  _ understand  _ things from the team’s perspective...it just made him happy. Happier than he’d felt in a long, long time. His friends...they genuinely  _ cared  _ about him. He wasn’t burdening them. Not before, and not now. 

He wasn’t alone. The darkness of his reality suddenly wasn’t as scary as it had been before. He wasn’t alone. He wasn’t alone. He wasn’t alone. 

_ I’m not alone _ . 

He rolled over, putting his arms around Kags and closing his eyes, feeling oddly content and at peace. 

He slept better that night than he’d slept in months. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to write. It was really, really, really hard to write. Enough said. Up until now this entire thing was in Kageyama’s POV so it was strange shifting to Hinata’s, plus all the emotional heaviness was hard to capture, and plus the entire first scene and then Kageyama’s and Hinata’s argument and then everything in between that and...and...basically everything.  
> 
> So I hope I did okay...? :/ 
> 
> Anyways, keep an eye out for the next chapter if you want! Thank you for your feedback! :D


	5. The Healing

They cancelled club activities that next day, and honestly, Kageyama was pretty glad they’d decided to. Hinata was going through a lot as it was, and the last time they practiced, all it served to do was make him feel worse. 

They didn’t need that again. Anything that discouraged Hinata had to be stopped -- or at least postponed, because Kageyama knew Hinata would never want to stop playing volleyball for very long. 

_ I wonder if I went too far yesterday…  _ Kageyama thought on his way to Karasuno, as he glanced down at his phone. He hadn’t heard from Hinata at all since yesterday, and even though Hinata didn’t usually text him or call him at this time of day, it still concerned Kageyama just slightly. 

Maybe he should have backed off. Maybe he should have respected Hinata’s privacy a little more... 

But at the same time...maybe it was a  _ good  _ thing. Maybe it was good that he hadn’t backed off, hadn’t respected Hinata’s privacy. 

Kageyama had always thought Hinata was the kind of person to never stop smiling. Someone who, no matter what happened, was an optimist through and through. And maybe that was the kind of person Hinata was. 

But lately...yesterday, in particular...Hinata’s eyes looked so  _ dead _ . They looked so  _ dead _ and Hinata looked so blatantly  _ exhausted _ and  _ lost  _ and  _ scared  _ and Kageyama hated it. He hated watching Hinata try to get through this on his own. He hated watching Hinata slowly destroy himself. 

It wasn’t right. 

He hoped Hinata realized just how much everyone cared about him now. If nothing he said yesterday helped Hinata, than Kageyama didn’t know what else he could do.  

_ I’ve done all I can,  _ he thought, shoving his phone back into his pocket.  _ The rest is up to Hinata _ . 

He continued walking for a little ways until, just before he reached the school, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and flicked it open, reading the text. 

It was a text from Hinata, sent to the team’s group chat. 

_ Stupid Hinata: Hi guys. Um, I just wanted to say thank you for not giving up on me. I’ll be sure to let you know if I need help next time. My mom’s keeping me home from school today, so I won’t be at club. Anyways, thank you. I appreciate it.  _

Kageyama stared down at the screen, and then sighed in relief.  _ Looks like what I told him  _ did  _ get through _ , he thought. He was glad. 

A few moments later, the rest of the team replied to Hinata’s group message. 

_ Nishinoya Yū: Of course, Shōyō! What kind of senpai would we be if we didn’t look after our precious kohai? Oh, and I skipped school, just like I promised, so if you’re not busy I’ll come over later! :)  _

_ Tsukishima Kei: You literally just said you skipped school in the group chat… _

_ Nishinoya Yū: Oh crap you’re right. Daichi, pretend you didn’t hear anything.  _

_ Sugawara Kōshi: Don’t worry about it, Hinata! We’re always here to help you!  _

_ Yamaguchi Tadashi: Sugawara is right. You don’t need to thank us at all!  _

_ Tanaka Ryūnosuke: And anyone who disagrees can come fight me on it!  _

_ Sawamura Daichi: No worries, Hinata. Make sure you tell us if you need anything. We cancelled club for today, too, so don’t worry about missing.  _

_ Tanaka Ryūnosuke: Hey, where’d Yū go?  _

_ Yamaguchi Tadashi: Daichi must have found him...  _

_ Tsukishima Kei: Hahaha R.I.P. _

_ Tanaka Ryūnosuke: YOU THINK YOU’RE FUNNY BUT YOU’RE NOT.  _

Kageyama waited a moment, thinking, and then he joined the fray, typing and sending a quick message. 

_ Kageyama Tobio: Well no duh, idiot. Of course we’d never give up on you.  _

_ Tanaka Ryūnosuke: Is Kageyama trying to be nice? _

_ Kageyama Tobio: No.  _

_ Tanaka Ryūnosuke: Liar! _

_ Stupid Hinata: You guys are the best! Thank you!!! :) :) :) (And Daichi please don’t be too angry at Nishinoya-senpai) _

Kageyama put his phone away and kept walking. All his friends were insane, at least in a small degree, but they were all reliable and supportive, which was exactly what Hinata needed right now.  

* * *

__ From: Kozume Kenma  
__ To: Hinata Shōyō  
_ Re: Station  
_ __ Hi Shōyō, our train arrives in an hour. I’ll see you soon. 

“Hey, Kageyama, can you read this for me?” Hinata asked, shoving his open phone into Kageyama’s face. The duo was walking home from school the day after yesterday, with Kags doing the most of the leading. 

“Yeah, sure,” Kageyama said, taking the phone from Hinata’s hands. He read the message and its sender out loud to Hinata, who instantly smiled brighter than he had in a while. 

“Oh! I forgot! Kenma’s coming!” said Hinata. “We should go meet him at the station!” 

Kageyama frowned down at the phone.  _ When did Hinata tell Kenma about the accident?  _ he wondered to himself, but said nothing. He figured the only thing that could make Nekoma’s setter suddenly head to Karasuno was Hinata -- specifically, an accident involving Hinata. 

“Do you want to come?” Hinata asked, reaching out blindly, and Kageyama handed him back his phone. 

“Idiot, I’m not letting you go alone,” Kageyama muttered, scoffing. 

“I won’t be alone!” Hinata objected. “I’ve got Kags with me!” 

The service animal barked as if in agreement. That obnoxious, unique bark that sounded suspiciously like  _ baka _ , and for some reason, Kageyama felt like it was directed towards him every time. 

“I still can’t believe you named it after me,” Kageyama said, staring down at the dog. 

“I didn’t  _ mean  _ to!” Hinata protested, sounding almost offended. “It was supposed to be a joke, but then he started responding to it, and he won’t respond to any other name I give him!” 

“It’s your fault for being an idiot, idiot.” 

“I’m not an idiot!” 

“Yes you are.” 

“Urgh! You know what,  _ fine!  _ Be that way! I’ll just go to the station by myself!  _ Byyye!” _ For emphasis, he spun on his heel and started walking in the other direction -- unfortunately, the opposite direction in which the station was located. 

Kageyama followed him. “And this is exactly why you’re an idiot.”   

“Shut up!” 

“But you’re not denying it.” 

“Of course not, ‘cause you won’t listen!” 

* * *

Once Kageyama finally steered Hinata in the right direction, the walk to the station took a little over half an hour, during which Hinata called his mother and explained the situation, that he was with Kageyama, and that he would be home somewhat later than usual. 

Kageyama had realized recently that Hinata’s mother was much more protective of him than usual, and rightfully so. Frankly, Kageyama was rather honored to know that Hinata’s mother trusted him to look after her son. 

Kageyama wasn’t all that used to being trusted by people outside the volleyball club. 

“Well, the train should be here soon,” Hinata said. “We were walking for a while...what time does it come in?” 

“Last I checked it was at five,” Kageyama replied. 

“Okay, so what time is it now?” 

Kageyama looked around, located the nearest clock hanging over the station’s entrance, and then answered, “Ten till.” 

“Great!” said Hinata, beaming. “So we got here just in time! I can’t wait to see Kenma again!” He paused, pondering this for a moment. “Well, not technically  _ see  _ him, but...eh, nevermind! It doesn’t matter!” 

The station was mostly empty at the moment, and for that Kageyama was glad. He’d never been very good in social situations to begin with. Plus the fact that Hinata was blind, and Kageyama didn’t want to deal with strangers staring or whispering about him under their breath. 

“When did you tell Kenma about what happened, Hinata?” Kageyama asked after a moment of silence. This was something he’d been wondering ever since he first read the message off Hinata’s phone. 

“Oh, not too long ago,” said Hinata instantly. “It was...um…” He paused, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “The same day I had the panic attack…” 

“Alright.” Kageyama wanted to leave that subject as soon as possible. The incident still terrified him and he never wanted to think about it again. “Did he want you to meet him at the station?” 

“Well…” 

“He didn’t, did he.” 

“He didn’t say that!” Hinata said, waving his hands and shaking his head simultaneously. “He just said I didn’t  _ need  _ to! But I thought it’d be nice to meet him, don’t you think?” 

“Well, sure, but--” 

Kageyama was cut off there; the train had arrived. There weren’t many people on it, and it didn’t take very long before Kageyama spotted Nekoma’s setter getting off the train amidst the rest of the passengers. 

“Do you see him?” Hinata asked restlessly. “I don’t see him!” 

“I know you don’t, idiot,” Kageyama said. “And yeah, I see him.” 

Kenma was stepping off the train with his head down, looking more shy than Kageyama had ever seen him. He was lugging a backpack over his shoulder that was almost the size of the setter’s entire torso -- Kageyama wondered if he’d packed for a long stay. 

“Oh, you do?” Hinata asked, and then, suddenly, at the top of his voice, “KENMMMMMAAA!” He waved his hands over his head. “HI!!” 

Kageyama could have sworn poor Kenma leapt a foot in the air in shock. A couple of other passengers turned briefly, and then went right back to what they were doing. If they were regular passengers, they were probably used to seeing teenagers yell at each other. 

“Shōyō,” Kenma said quietly, once he’d gotten over his shock, and he made his way over, towards Kageyama and Hinata. The backpack seemed to be weighing him down. “What are you doing here? I told you you didn’t have to meet me at the station...” 

“But I wanted to!” Hinata insisted. “And Kageyama came with me!” 

Kenma nodded in the other setter’s direction in brief greeting. “Kageyama.” 

“Kenma,” Kageyama greeted back with a nod. He could tell Kenma was trying to avoid looking into Hinata’s eyes. It made sense; Kenma was probably still in denial regarding this whole situation, much like Kageyama was when he first realized the truth. 

“So, do you have a place to stay?” Hinata asked. 

Kenma looked down. “Not really…” 

“Seriously? Okay, well, um, you can always stay with me at my house!” Hinata offered. Kageyama mentally sighed. Hinata, always so willing to help out. Kageyama didn’t know how he did it. 

Kenma looked mildly unsure, but not at all surprised. “You don’t have to, Shōyō…” 

“I know  _ that _ ,” said Hinata, “but you didn’t have to come all the way out here, either, so I think we’re even!” 

Kenma shifted his weight. “I’m just here to check on you...that’s all…you don’t owe me anything…” 

In the end, though, when Hinata kept insisting over and over and over again, Kenma finally agreed.     

* * *

Kenma didn’t know what to think. 

Ever since Shōyō first told him about the accident, Kenma hadn’t known what he was feeling. All he knew was that he needed to go, right then and there, to see Shōyō. He knew that if he was in an accident, Shōyō wouldn’t hesitate to go visit him, so it was only fair Kenma did the same. 

“I’m going to Karasuno,” Kenma had told Kuroo, as soon as he got off the phone with Shōyō. They had been in Nekoma’s club room, winding down and packing up from practice with the rest of their team cleaning up the gym. 

His captain had looked at him oddly. “Karasuno?” Kuroo had asked, frowning. “Why the sudden interest?” The captain had smirked jokingly. “You aren’t planning on leaving us for them, are you?” 

“Shōyō was in an accident,” Kenma had said, sounding much firmer than he usually did when he spoke. “Apparently he was hit by a car.”

The smirk was wiped off Kuroo’s face instantly. “Shōyō?” he repeated. “Their number ten?” 

Kenma had nodded, zipping up his duffle bag and pulling it over his shoulder. Kuroo was watching him, looking almost concerned. 

“Man, that’s rough. Is he okay?” 

“That’s what I’m going to see,” Kenma had said. 

“I should go with you.” 

“I’ll go by myself.” 

It had taken a lot of arguing (“I’m going with you.” “No you’re not.” “I’m going with you.” “No you’re not.” “Fine.”) before Kuroo finally relented. Kenma hadn’t told him about the result of the accident, that Shōyō was now blind. Honestly, Kenma himself was just hoping Shōyō was joking, that this was all an elaborate scheme just to get his goat. 

But when he saw Shōyō at the station, he knew it was no joke. 

Shōyō was blind. Truly blind. He even had a service animal with him. It wasn’t a joke. Kenma had hoped, hoped, and hoped again that this was all a prank, but then again, he knew that, despite the jokester Shōyō was, not even  _ he  _ would stoop to this level. 

Shōyō was really blind. Now that Kenma knew this for sure, he didn’t know what to do. He had come to be moral support, but he wasn’t good interacting with people. This never seemed to bother Shōyō, of course, and the Karasuno spiker seemed  _ thrilled  _ when Kenma stepped off that train…

But still. Kenma wished he knew more about socializing. He’d actually done  _ internet _ research on how to interact with people, and if that didn’t say everything about the state of his social life, not much else did. 

Besides, this was an entirely different situation. He wasn’t just “interacting” with someone. He was interacting with Shōyō, his first real friend outside his volleyball team, who was now blind due to some freak accident.       

They parted ways with Kageyama a little further down the sidewalk towards Shōyō’s house, and then, it was just Kenma, Shōyō, and the latter’s seeing eye dog. Kenma glanced down at the dog’s collar; an ID, marking him as a seeing eye dog, and then the dog’s name. 

_ Kags.  _

Kenma frowned. “You named your dog after Kageyama?” he asked. 

“On accident,” Hinata sighed heavily. “I didn’t mean to. He just kinda started responding to it.”

Kenma didn’t understand, but he didn’t elaborate, either. It wasn’t important, after all. 

When they reached Shōyō’s house, they were welcomed in by Shōyō’s mother, who was delighted that Kenma had come to visit her son. Kenma kept his head down while Shōyō told her that Kenma didn’t have a place to stay and that he’d offered to let him stay with them, and Mrs. Hinata agreed that it was a wonderful idea. 

“You have a nice family, Shōyō,” Kenma remarked quietly a little later on, once he and Shōyō were upstairs. Shōyō’s little sister Natsu had dragged blankets and spare pillows from a closet and set them up on the floor for Kenma. Despite Kenma not being super fond of people in general, somehow the Hinata family had found a place in his heart.  

“Yeah, they’re great,” Shōyō agreed without a moment’s hesitation. He sat down on the edge of his bed; Kags jumped up and laid beside him. “So, what do you want to do?” 

“Nothing.” 

Shōyō looked almost offended. “Eh? That’s not how sleepovers are supposed to work!” said Shōyō, like he was shocked by the fact that Kenma didn’t know this. 

“This isn’t a normal ‘sleepover,’” Kenma said, sitting down on the mound of blankets Natsu set up for him. “I’m here for  _ you _ , you didn’t invite me over.” 

“Yeah I did!” 

“I mean you didn’t ask me to come here in the first place. On the train.” 

“Oh, right.” Shōyō quieted down for a while. Only for a while, of course, as it  _ was _ Shōyō, who often times didn’t seem to know the meaning of the word “quiet.” “But I’m glad you came anyway, Kenma!” Shōyō said, smiling. 

Kenma nodded, just faintly, but said nothing. He couldn’t really find anything worth saying.  

* * *

Later, when Shōyō was sleeping with his service dog curled right next to him, Kenma remained awake, fiddling with his phone (which he’d silenced the moment Shōyō fell asleep). Kenma usually stayed awake past unseemly hours, and it was only eleven at night, so he’d be up for a while more. 

He wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep now even if he tried. 

A message popped up on the screen, and he stared at the name of the sender. 

_ Kuroo Tetsurō _ . 

Kenma really wasn’t in the mood to speak with the captain -- not even through texts, which wasn’t technically talking -- but he knew that if he ignored Kuroo, he’d just keep pestering until finally Kenma gave in. 

So, begrudgingly, Kenma opened the message. 

__ From: Kuroo Tetsurō  
__ To: Kozume Kenma  
_ Re: Trip  
_ __ Oy, Kenma. Did you make it there? 

Kenma paused, and then typed back his quick response:  _ Yes.  _

He waited, knowing Kuroo would surely text back in a moment or two -- and sure enough, he did. 

__ From: Kuroo Tetsurō  
__ To: Kozume Kenma  
_ Re: Trip  
_ __ So what’s the word on Karasuno’s ten? He’s not seriously hurt, is he? 

Kenma typed and sent his reply within moments. 

__ From: Kozume Kenma  
_ To: Kuroo Tetsurō  
_ __ It’s Shōyō. I think he’s okay. He looks exhausted though. 

Honestly, that was one of the first things Kenma noticed about Shōyō when he saw him at the train station. Despite Shōyō’s smile and cheery shouts, he looked more worn-down and blatantly  _ exhausted  _ than Kenma had ever seen him. 

He wondered if Kageyama had noticed, too. Kageyama certainly seemed to be spending more time around Shōyō than usual, just from what Kenma had seen so far (and he hadn’t seen very much). 

He’d caught a very defensive, almost protective vibe from Karasuno’s setter earlier, almost like he was expecting some kind of assault and was keeping himself prepared for it. In all honestly, Kenma was glad. No one would dare bother Shōyō so long as Kageyama was around. 

Kuroo’s reply popped up another moment later.  

__ From: Kuroo Tetsurō  
__ To: Kozume Kenma  
_ Re: Trip  
_ __ Right, makes sense. Tell him hey from me. 

__ From: Kozume Kenma  
_ To: Kuroo Tetsurō  
_ __ Maybe. 

Kuroo didn’t text him again after that. He must have realized that Kenma was done talking for now. Kenma stuffed his phone back into his backpack and sat there in the dark. Usually, he’d pull out one of his pocket games and play until early morning, but he didn’t feel like doing that now. 

He actually didn’t feel like doing much of anything right now. 

Kenma wasn’t planning on staying for very long; just long enough to check on Shōyō and make sure he was really okay, as he’d claimed he was. Kenma knew that Shōyō was definitely the kind of person to deny there was anything wrong until he literally broke -- mentally or physically. 

Of course, chances were Shōyō would never tell Kenma if he was struggling -- it just wasn’t the kind of person he was. 

But if Shōyō wouldn’t tell him…

Kenma knew someone who would.  

* * *

_ “...Hang on...Who is it…?”  _

“Kageyama, it’s Kenma,” Kenma said, as soon as he heard the groggy, sleep-thick voice of Kageyama through the phone’s receiver. It was late, and he knew Kageyama had probably been sleeping , but he couldn’t care about that right now. He had questions that needed answering and the person most suited to answer those questions was the protective Kageyama Tobio. 

_ “What? Kenma?”  _ Kageyama sounded just a bit more awake, but not by much.  _ “How did you even get my number?”  _

“I borrowed it from Shōyō,” Kenma said, glancing up at Shōyō’s phone, which sat on the nightstand of his bed. He made sure to keep his voice down; Shōyō seemed to be sleeping pretty heavily, but Kenma would still feel horrible if he woke him up. 

“I want to know how Shōyō’s really been doing,” Kenma told Kageyama, and there was a small, unspoken threat behind those words. “I know he won’t tell me directly, even if I asked him to, so I wanted to hear it from you.” 

He heard Kageyama shift on the other line; he was probably sitting up. He must have been sleeping when Kenma called. 

_ “Well…”  _ Kageyama sounded uncertain,  _ “it’s a lot to go over…”  _

“I don’t mind.” And honestly, Kenma didn’t. This was something he had to know, and he trusted Kageyama would give him the truth -- the stone-cold truth, with no sugarcoating whatsoever. 

_ “Okay...guess I’ll start from the top…”  _ By the sound of it, this was  _ not  _ information Kageyama wanted to be relieving -- or  _ reliving _ , either. Kenma mentally braced himself, though physically, he did nothing. 

_ “It happened a while ago,”  _ Kageyama started.  _ “Hinata didn’t actually tell you about it until recently. It happened...I don’t know...over a month ago. Maybe two months? I don’t remember.”  _

Kenma had figured it had happened a long time ago. After all, if it’d happened more recently, Shōyō would either be in the hospital or home recovering -- definitely not waiting to greet Kenma at the train station. 

_ “When it first happened, and even a while after that, it was...hard _ ,” Kageyama went on, but his voice was slowing down.

_ He really doesn’t want to talk about it _ , Kenma thought, but said nothing. 

_ “...Hinata just...he kept pretending he was alright,”  _ Kageyama said.  _ “He wouldn’t let us help him, or even tell us if he needed help. He almost quit volleyball, actually. But recently...he’s...he’s been doing better.”  _

“How recently?” 

_ “Since yesterday. I finally got the message through his thick skull. I told him he was making it harder on us and himself by pretending he was alright when he wasn’t. I think he got the idea. It’d suck if he didn’t…”  _

“What else?” Kenma questioned. 

He heard Kageyama sigh.  _ “You really want to know?”  _

Kenma swallowed, then nodded. No, he didn’t want to know, but he decided that if he really wanted to help Shōyō, he’d have to. 

* * *

When Kageyama and Kenma ended their conversation, Kenma sat there in the dark, phone still in his hand, his brain still trying to comprehend the information. Kenma had assumed it was bad, being through a traumatizing experience like the one Shōyō went through…

But since hearing Kageyama’s eye-witness account, Kenma decided he was nowhere  _ close  _ to imagining how hard it was to go through something like Shōyō went through. 

Kageyama had held nothing back. Shōyō’s panic attack, his self-doubt, thinking he was useless to the team, trying to isolate himself, trying to push the people he cared about away, because he thought he was burdening them…

Kenma couldn’t even  _ begin  _ to imagine the kind of psychological damage the accident left Shōyō with. 

_ I should have been here sooner _ , Kenma thought, finally snapping his phone shut and letting complete darkness overwhelm the room.  _ I should’ve come here sooner. I should’ve been here. Maybe I would’ve been able to help in some way… _

He wasn’t quite sure  _ what  _ he would’ve done, given how socially inept he was, but at the same time...even if he’d just visited Shōyō while he was in the hospital, that would have been more than  _ nothing _ . 

Kenma turned his head and looked to where Shōyō was still sleeping soundly, his arms wrapped tightly around the service dog that, according to Kageyama, had been a gift from the Karasuno team. 

Kenma thought for another moment or two, and then opened his phone again, calling the first number to pop up in his list of recent calls. 

The phone rang a total of two times before it was picked up.  _ “Kenma again, right?”  _ Kageyama asked. He sounded wide awake now, almost as if he’d been expecting another call.  _ “I added your number to my contacts in case you wanna talk again just so you know--”  _

“Thank you for taking care of Shōyō,” Kenma said, getting right to the point.

There was silence on Kageyama’s end for a moment or two.  _ “Yeah...you’re welcome.”  _

“I mean it,” said Kenma. “Don’t take it lightly. I’m looking at the result of the battle, but you and the rest of Karasuno were there for the fight. I appreciate you looking after Shōyō.” 

_ “‘Course…”  _ Kageyama said, sounding awkward -- he and Kenma had a lot in common in that sense.  _ “We’re his friends, it’s our job…and, Kenma, you have no idea how excited that idiot was when he heard you were on your way here. Don’t think you’re not helping him just by being here.”  _

Kenma looked down. “I still think I should’ve been here sooner…” 

_ “Yeah, but you can’t change the past. I had to face that reality, too.”  _

Kenma had no doubt about that. 

“I’m going to be heading out probably the day after tomorrow,” Kenma said. “I was worried at first, but now I’m sure Shōyō will be alright here with the rest of you.” 

There was a beat.  _ “Not sure if that’s a compliment…”  _

“You and the others from Karasuno are good friends,” Kenma said. “So look after Shōyō.” 

_ “I know.”  _

The call ended there. Kenma had no doubt in his mind that Shōyō was in safe hands. 

And if anyone dared try to threaten that, well, they’d have to answer to both Karasuno and Nekoma. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! So I busted a couple of my fingers playing basketball, so updates might be kinda sporadic, but I'll do my best! :D Thank you all for your comments! They make me smile a lot! :D So, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I'll update as soon as I'm able! :D Thanks again!


	6. The Fear, The Hope

 

They parted ways with Kenma a couple of days later, at the train station -- but not before Kenma have Hinata a couple of borderline strict orders.

“You have my number,” Kenma told Hinata. “If you need to talk to someone, or it you want me to come back and see you again, call me or text me. I’ll answer.”

“Okay!” Hinata agreed, nodding, and Kageyama was pretty sure he heard him murmur “A lot of people have been telling me that lately…” under his breath.

Kenma looked towards Kageyama, and his eyes seemed to stare straight into the latter’s soul. “Take care of Shōyō,” Kenma said, and though that was all he said, Kageyama was sure an unspoken “or else” lay behind the setter’s words.

“Yeah,” Kageyama agreed, still feeling somewhat unnerved. He had no doubt that if he _didn’t_ look after Hinata, Kenma would find some way of revenge, and Kageyama knew that if Kenma plotted something against him, it would not fail.

It gave him chills and in all honestly he would much rather not think about it.  

After that, they said their final farewells, and Kenma was back on the train, heading back to his own school with Hinata and Kageyama waving at their retreating friend.  

* * *

 

There was blood. There was blood, and it was everywhere, all over the street like some crime scene, and people were screaming, and in the distance there were sirens and bright flashing lights against the dark night sky. Blood and lights and screams and sirens and fear and _dread_ and terror all combined into one horrible -- no, _beyond_ horrible moment.

The blood was Hinata’s and Kageyama couldn’t tell if he was even alive --

Kageyama woke up in cold sweat, lurching forward so suddenly that he tumbled off his bed and onto the carpeted floor below. His breathing was all over the place, and his heart was thudding rapidly against his ribs like it was a trapped bird in a cage trying to escape.

His head was spinning. For a brief moment, he thought he’d throw up. He pushed himself up, kneeling with his hands on the ground, breathing heavily.

Those images, things he’d much rather forget, were things that he knew would never leave his mind for good.

He managed to drag himself to his feet and stumble into the bathroom, feeling along the wall until he found the lightswitch. The white overhead lights were too bright, and he squinted, his eyes not quite ready for it.

The white lights kind of reminded him of the hospital lights in the waiting room --

He turned on the tap and splashed water up onto his face, trying to wake himself up and snap his mind away from the events of the past. He glanced up at himself in the mirror and mentally cringed. He was pale, and there were rings beneath his eyes -- he’d expected both things, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant to look at.

It’d been a while since he’d had a nightmare that blatantly _vivid_. It was almost like he was back there, back at that horrid, gruesome scene. Like he’d gone back in time and was witnessing the accident for a second time.

He hadn’t minded telling Kenma about the accident, really, he hadn’t -- after all, Kenma had as much of a right to know as anyone else did. But talking about it, talking about all Hinata had been through and the struggles he’d faced, it…

...It brought back a lot of unpleasant memories.   

He sighed, shut off the tap, and dried off his face with the hand towel before heading back into his room, turning out the lights as he went. He dragged his feet and finally face planted his bed. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep again even if he tried.

_It happened months ago_ , Kageyama thought, feeling uncharacteristically helpless, _and it didn’t even happen to me. So why…_

_Why does it haunt me like this?_

He felt selfish. If anyone had the right to have nightmares over what happened, it was Hinata, not him, not Kageyama, not the person who indirectly _caused_ the accident in the first place.

_I don’t have the right to cry._

He raised his head, looking towards the desk by his bed. Tomorrow’s due homework sat untouched alongside a pencil and a notebook, and beside that, his phone.

Kageyama bit his lip, thinking.

_No, I’m not going to call him. I’m not going to burden him with this. He’s dealing with enough, he shouldn’t have to deal with me, too_.

And then, he felt like a hypocrite. Wasn’t he the one always telling Hinata that he wasn’t a burden, and to call him any time? Wasn’t he the one always telling Hinata he didn’t have to deal with things by himself?

_It’s different with me_ , he told himself. _I’m not blind_.

And yet the events still traumatized him and he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to fully get over it.

He wrestled with his reasonable side for a moment or two, and then he reached over, snatched his phone from the desk, and flicked it open. He found Hinata’s contact, hesitated once again, and then hit _Call_. The finger he’d used to do so felt unnaturally heavy.

One ring. No answer. Two rings. No one picked up. Three rings. Still nothing. Four rings. Kageyama thought about abandoning ship while he still had the chance. Five rings.

And then.

_“Who is it?”_   

Kageyama breathed a mental sigh of relief. _Of course he’s alive, it was just a stupid nightmare, get ahold of yourself, Kageyama…_

“It’s me, idiot,” said Kageyama.

_“Kageyama?”_ The blatant confusion lacing Hinata’s tone was almost comical. _“Wait, why are_ you _calling? What time is it?”_

Kageyama glanced at the wall clock behind him. “It’s...about two in the morning,” he told Hinata, and suddenly felt guilty. _Why the heck did I call him at two in the morning? I should’ve looked at the clock…_

_“Aww darn it! And I wanted to try and get to bed earlier today, too!”_ Hinata’s voice cut through Kageyama’s thoughts, and Kageyama frowned.

“You mean you weren’t sleeping?” Kageyama asked.

_“Well duh, no!”_ Now Hinata sounded offended, which was almost equally comical. _“I had homework, Bakayama! I started after dinner and I just lost track of time while working, or else I_ would _have been sleeping--”_

“You’re still working?” Kageyama interrupted, surprised. “You’ve been working on it for _that long?”_

Hinata groaned loudly. _“I can barely keep up with my_ first _language, and now I have to study English, too! In braille! Braille is_ hard! _Have you ever tried studying for an English exam in braille, Kageyama?”_

Kageyama mentally smacked himself. He was about to apologize, but Hinata kept talking before he even had the chance to open his mouth.

_“So, how’s_ your _English exam going?”_

Kageyama sighed. “Same as always.”

_“Ouch. That bad?”_

Kageyama clicked his tongue. “Shut up.”

_“Hey, don’t try to pin this on me! You’re the one who called!”_ Hinata protested, and then, he stopped. _“Say, Kageyama, why’d you call, anyways? It’s not like you to call me. Usually I’m the one calling you at weird hours.”_

And Kageyama was brought right back to why he’d called in the first place. “I…” He paused, thinking. Was there a way he could word this without sounding completely pathetic?

“I was just checking up on you. That’s all.” Okay, it wasn’t a total lie -- after seeing those images in his head, he really needed the reassurance that Hinata was okay, more than he’d admit to anyone else.

_“I don’t believe you_ ,” said Hinata instantly. _“Your voice is all weird. It’s really shaky sounding.”_ There was silence for a moment, in which Kageyama took the chance to berate himself for not being better composed.

_“Wait, hold on a second, were you…were you crying?”_

“No.” Okay. That one _was_ a total lie, and almost as soon as the word was out of his mouth, he went back. “...Maybe…” he muttered under his breath, just barely into the phone. A part of him was hoping Hinata hadn’t heard while the other part of him was hoping he had.

_“What happened?”_ Hinata asked him, and Kageyama knew there was no backing out of it happened.

“I…” Now that Kageyama had to say it out loud, it sounded so petty and _stupid. I shouldn’t have called him_ , Kageyama thought, regretting ever even _thinking_ about it in the first place. _It was just a stupid nightmare, I shouldn’t have called him, it’s pointless, it’s all pointless…_

“I...had a nightmare.”

There. He said it. He hadn’t wanted to, but he’d spat it out, and now he fell silent, waiting for Hinata’s response.

_“Oh,”_ Hinata said quietly. He didn’t ask for details; chances were, he probably already knew exactly what the nightmare was about. _“Erm, you seriously don’t have to sound so embarrassed about it. I get them sometimes, too.”_

“Yeah, sure,” Kageyama said, gritting his teeth, “because it actually _happened_ to you. It didn’t happen to _me_.”

_“...But you were there, weren’t you?”_     

Kageyama swallowed.

_“You saw the whole thing, didn’t you? From start to finish. It_ did _happen to you. Sure, you weren’t actually hit by a car or anything, but it happened, and when it did, it involved you, so it_ did _technically happen to you_.”

Kageyama still didn’t feel totally convinced, but he didn’t argue. He knew Hinata would never listen, anyways.

_“You know, I talked to Yamaguchi a few days ago,”_ Hinata went on, _“when I had a nightmare. We talked for a while about it, and he gave me some pretty good advice. Yamaguchi’s really smart. Do you want to know what he told me?”_

Kageyama didn’t have a better idea. “I’m listening.”

_“He told me when bad things happen, people don’t generally handle it well mentally,”_ Hinata said, and he said it as though he were quoting something in front of a class. _“So sometimes they get flashbacks -- or, you know, nightmares.”_

“...I guess that makes sense,” Kageyama said. _I can’t believe I’m actually getting advice from Hinata…_ “But how do you deal with it?” Kageyama questioned. “Did Yamaguchi say anything about how to _stop_ it?”

_“...You can’t really ‘stop’ it,”_ Hinata said quietly. _“He said the best thing to do is...accept it.”_

Kageyama grit his teeth. “ _Accept_ it?” He practically growled. How was he expected to just _accept_ what had happened? It shouldn’t have happened at all and now Hinata was telling him to _accept_ it?

_“I mean accept the fact that it happened,”_ Hinata clarified, and Kageyama listened once again, broken from his thoughts. _“Yamaguchi told me that you need to step back and say, ‘Yeah, this happened, and it was horrible, but it’s going to be okay.’ No matter how long it takes…that’s really all you can do.”_

That made sense. Kageyama didn’t quite want to admit it, but yes, it did make sense.

_“And it’s not like I died or anything,”_ said Hinata, and Kageyama cringed worse than ever at the mere _thought_ of the accident being fatal. _“And no one else was hurt, so...it’s okay.”_

“I’ll…” Kageyama rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I’ll have to remember, to thank Yamaguchi…”

_“Thank him? You, thank him? Are you sure you can do it?”_

“Do you want those to be your last words?”

_“Not especially.”_

“Then shut up.”

_“No thanks.”_

Kageyama felt just a little better, especially after talking to Hinata. The fact that nothing had really changed between them, either, as far as their “frenemy” relationship was concerned. It was...a little bit reassuring.

It was going to be okay, just like Hinata said. No matter how long it took, it was going to be okay eventually. Things were already starting to look up for them and their team.

Yes, the accident was something that should have never happened, to anyone, least of all to Hinata, but the truth was it happened, and now they were facing the aftermath.

They’d get through it. Eventually.

_“Er, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but what was your nightmare about?”_ Hinata asked, and Kageyama was knocked -- once again -- from his thoughts. Hinata sounded awkward and hesitant.

“Just...what happened,” Kageyama said, suddenly feeling exhausted. “Nothing more and nothing less.” He paused, a sudden thought striking him. “Wait, you said you got nightmares too, didn’t you? What are yours about?”

Hinata was unconscious from the moment of impact up until he was patched up and in the hospital. Hinata hadn’t seen anything. Hadn’t seen the blood, hadn’t heard the screams or the sirens, hadn’t felt the panic.

Kageyama genuinely wondered what he had nightmares about. He guessed they could just be about getting hit by the car in the first place, but...that didn’t really make sense to Kageyama.

_“...Oh, um...not like yours,”_ Hinata answered hesitantly. _“For me, it’s never me that’s hit by the car. It’s always...someone else. Like, instead of me shoving you out of the way...I don’t make it in time...and sometimes it’s Nishinoya, and sometimes it’s Sugawara, and...well...you get it...”_

Kageyama swallowed thickly. His throat suddenly felt tight. _Oh…_

_“...But it’s okay,”_ Hinata told him after another moment, his tone rising just slightly. _“Everyone’s okay. Honestly, I’m...I’m kind of glad it was me and not someone else.”_

Kageyama balled his hand into a fist. “It shouldn’t have happened at all,” he growled.

_“But it did. Can we...can we please not talk about this anymore?”_

Kageyama had no complaint there. He, too, wanted to get off this subject as soon as possible.

“Alright,” Kageyama said, nodding even though Hinata couldn’t see him. “You should go to bed. We have practice tomorrow.”

_“Oh, right, I forgot_ ,” Hinata said, and by the tone of his voice, he definitely _had_ forgotten. _“Alright. You should go to bed, too.”_

“I will,” Kageyama said, though he wasn’t sure he’d actually be able to sleep again for the rest of the night. “Bye, idiot.”

_“Okay...bye -- oh, Kageyama, wait!”_ Hinata raised his voice, and Kageyama stopped just before hitting the “End call” button.

“Yeah?” Kageyama said, putting the phone back against his ear.

_“I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time,”_ said Hinata, _“but...thank you for everything. Specifically for the other day, in the club room.”_

Another thing Kageyama didn’t want to think about: Hinata’s panic attack. But he didn’t mention it. “Yeah, you bet,” Kageyama said. “After all, who else could spike my tosses if you ended up in the hospital again?”

Hinata actually laughed at that, just slightly, but it was an honest laugh nonetheless. _“Yeah, good luck finding someone else,”_ Hinata said, and then, the laughter ended. _“I mean it, though. Thank you.”_

“Don’t worry about it,” Kageyama said. “Now go to sleep, stupid. It’s almost three in the morning.”

_“Okay. ‘Night, Bakayama.”_

“Goodnight, idiot.”

_“Kageyama has a very limited insult vocabulary.”_

Kageyama opened his mouth to retort, but too late -- Hinata had already hung up.   

But eve so, Kageyama felt a lot better than he’d felt all week, and when he fell asleep again, there were no nightmares.

* * *

 

“Okay, there’s only one person who walks like that... it must be Kageyama!” Hinata announced grandly, as Kageyama stepped up to the gym the next day after school. Hinata as there with Kags, but no one else; the rest of the team had yet to arrive.

“Idiot,” Kageyama scoffed, pulling off his shoes and replacing them with his volleyball ones.

“Aha! I was right!” cheered Hinata, and he actually gave himself a high-five, to which Kageyama rolled his eyes. “Score! Victory is mine!”

“Don’t sound so cocky,” Kageyama muttered.

Hinata stopped cheering. “Wow, you really _don’t_ sound like you slept right yesterday,” he said, thoughtful -- and maybe just a little bit concerned, too. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” Kageyama said, and he wasn’t lying. Hinata shrugged, and left it at that. Once everyone else arrived, they divided the team into two -- one for either side of the court -- and then began practice.

It may have been wishful thinking, but Kageyama was pretty sure Hinata looked just a little more lively than he had the other day, and the dark crescents under his eyes were lesser than they were before. His service dog, Kags, sat beside the bench with Yachi while the practice was held.

“Remember, don’t worry about receiving or serving, idiot,” Kageyama told Hinata, . Hinata turned towards him, grinning.

“Kinda hard to forget, don’t you think?” he said, waving his hand in front of his eyes as if for demonstration.  

“...Right,” said Kageyama, and he moved back to his rightful position on the court. Really, there wasn’t much he could say to respond to that.

The team had decided that, whenever it was Hinata’s turn to serve, they’d either trade him out with a pinch server or just let him try an underhand serve. Underhand serves were, of course, easier to receive, but Hinata was better at them than he was at overhands, so overall, even though he couldn’t see what he was doing, his underhands had a better chance of making it over the net.

As far as receiving went, well, they’d just have to deal with that. If the ball was coming towards Hinata, someone else could move in and receive it in the spiker’s place. That’s just what they would have to do.

But of course, this was also a problem. Kageyama was sure they could receive at least _half_ of the balls in Hinata’s place, but there was no way they could save all of them.

It would most likely hinder the team--

_No_ , Kageyama thought, shaking his head, suddenly very furious with himself; on the other side of the court, Sugawara served, and on their side, Tanaka received. _I’m not going to think like that. I told Hinata we would make it work. I told Hinata he’d be able to stand on the court with us and that’s what he’s doing to do. I’m not about to start thinking he’ll hinder us._

He set the ball, Hinata spiked it, and the game went on.

A little further into the game, on side of the court opposite of Hinata and Kageyama’s, Sugawara set the ball to Asahi, and the ace swung his arm, matching up perfectly with the ball. The ball shot over the net, making a fast, straight descent towards the court.

_He targeted the hole in our defense, in between Tanaka and Hinata_ , Kageyama thought, staring. _Hinata could probably get there in time if he knew where the ball was, but..._

_But of course, he_ can’t _know where the ball is..._

Nobody was there to receive. The ball’s path was empty.

And then, suddenly, it wasn’t.

Hinata suddenly dove forward, his arms outstretched in front of him, ready to receive.

Kageyama stared, shocked. _But he can’t see the ball, how does he know where--?_

The ball was intercepted by Hinata’s forearms and shot straight into the air.

Hinata had received Asahi’s spike.

Everyone was so shocked by this development that they forgot they were still in a game. The ball bounced on the court’s floor, out of bounds, but nobody cared. They only stared, wide-eyed and disbelieving, at Hinata.

Hinata looked just as shocked as the rest of them, which was, honestly, really confusing. Kageyama only stared, completely and utterly speechless.

_Did that...did that actually just happen? Did Hinata seriously receive Asahi’s spike? There’re only a handful of people who’ve been able to receive Asahi’s spike, and Hinata’s probably one of the worst receivers in history, not to mention he can’t actually_ see _the ball!_

_So how did he receive Asahi’s spike!?_

All at once, the silence was broken by a single, solitary shout.

“I HIT IT!” Hinata proclaimed, jumping into the air, startling the silence into oblivion. “Wahoo! Wow, I didn’t think that would work but it did! I hit it!”

“How did you do that!?” Kageyama demanded, starting forward. “You can’t see the ball, _how did you know where to receive it!?”_

“I heard it!” said Hinata, grinning, looking about ready to explode in glee. “I heard the wind, it was like _swoosh_ and it was getting louder, and I knew it was going to be right beside me, so I moved and it worked!”

“Wha...that’s amazing!” Nishinoya cheered, racing over to the other side of the court to celebrate with his kohai. “You received it! Actually, that was probably one of the best receives you’ve ever done!”  

“Wait, really!?” said Hinata, spinning towards the sound of Nishinoya voice. “I really did it!?”

“Yep! That was amazing!”

“YES!”  

“That’s incredible,” said Sugawara, breathless, as he watched the scene in disbelief. “The ball wasn’t sent to the setter, and the direction it took was totally random, but…”

_But Hinata got the ball up._

_Which gave everyone else the chance to connect._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for a chapter, everyone. I quite a few chapters already written out but I haven't really found the time to post them...? SO I'M REALLY SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I love all of you guys, and thank you all for your continued support! I'll try and get my chapters out sooner rather than later in the future. 
> 
> As usual, if you guys have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! Except, I'm not going to put any yaoi in this story, in case anybody was wondering. Just platonic team-bonding, because Karasuno is a family and no one can tell me otherwise. :) 
> 
> Thank you all for your support, and I'll see you guys soon, hopefully! If you've stuck with me so far, thank you, and congratulations! :)


	7. The Flight

 

At first, it was pretty 50 - 50 either way. Hinata received half of the balls, but the other half either went right over him or right beside him. Still, though, the fact that he was even able to receive  _ half  _ of the balls without actually being able to  _ see  _ them was an amazing feat in it of itself. 

Kageyama still didn’t understand how he did it. 

As practice continued, Hinata got better and better at predicting where the ball would land based on the sound of the ball cutting through the air. Now, he hit at least seventy percent of all the balls that came his way. Of course he couldn’t aim -- that hadn’t changed at all -- but getting the ball up was all he needed to do. After that, the rest of the team could finish the play. 

Needless to say, everyone was impressed by Hinata’s newfound capability, including Hinata himself. 

“It’s weird,” Hinata told Kageyama after practice, uncapping his water bottle. “It’s like I can hear everything a lot clearer now. It’s really cool! When I really try, I can actually hear people’s feet leaving the ground!” 

“But... _ how?”  _ Kageyama asked, still disbelieving. 

“No idea!” said Hinata, beaming. “But it works, right? Isn’t that all that matters?” 

Kageyama blinked, and then nodded in agreement. 

“Maybe,” said Nishinoya, sliding up beside them, having eavesdropped on their conversation, “since you can’t see anymore, you notice things you weren’t able to before. Maybe you were so distracted with what was right in front of you that the rest of your senses were dulled.” 

Hinata blinked in confusion. “Eh?” 

“You can hear stuff better now, idiot,” said Kageyama. 

“Oh! Okay!” said Hinata, nodding in understanding. Kageyama rolled his eyes.  

* * *

“We’re having a practice match next week.” 

Daichi’s announcement caught everyone off-guard, and they looked at their captain in confusion. They were in the gym, the day after Hinata’s first blind receive, getting ready to start their after-school practice. 

“A practice match?” Nishinoya questioned suspiciously, as he knelt on the ground lacing up his volleyball shoes. “With who?” 

“A team from the next city over,” Daichi answered, stepping through the door and sliding it shut behind him. “They’re not an extremely popular team, so getting a practice match set up with them was reasonably easy.”

_ Not a very popular team?  _ Kageyama thought, blinking.  _ I wonder who they are... _

“Have we ever played them before?” Sugawara asked, moving forward. 

Daichi shook his head. “No,” he said, “but they’re one of the lesser teams in the prefecture. Below us, even.” 

“So why are we having a practice match with them if they’re not a real match for us?” Tanaka questioned, asking what everyone else was thinking. 

“The main reason Takeda-sensei set up the practice match for us,” Daichi answered, “was so Hinata had the chance to practice his receives against another team. His receives are sporadic, so it should be good practice for all of us.” 

“Yes!” Hinata cheered, pumping both fists into the air. “I’m feeling pretty confident today, so bring it on, random team from the next city over!” 

“Speaking of Hinata’s receives,” Daichi went on, almost as if Hinata had never said anything at all. “I had an idea yesterday while we were practicing. Hinata, how hard would it be for you to memorize the sounds of different bells?” 

“Different...bells?” Hinata looked confused. 

“I’m thinking,” said Daichi, elaborating, “if you can memorize the sounds of different bells, we can each have a different one on the court, that way you know where we are.” 

“Oh!” Nishinoya snapped his fingers. “That makes sense! If we tie bells around our wrists or whatever, then Shōyō will also know if someone else goes in for the receive, that way he can back off without colliding with them.” 

_ That makes sense,  _ thought Kageyama. It was a good idea. Honestly, Kageyama didn’t know they hadn’t thought of it sooner. 

“It’s important to know where your teammates are,” said Daichi, nodding, “so if you think you can do it, Hinata, I think it’d help you on the court tremendously.” 

Hinata was already nodding before Daichi had the chance to finish speaking. “I’ll try anything once!” said Hinata, grinning. “Let’s do it!”  

* * *

“Sorry I’m late!” Hinata cried, stumbling into the gym, led by Kags. Kageyama turned, looking over his shoulder at the spiker as he entered. Hinata paused suddenly, one foot still in the air, looking confused. “Wait,  _ am  _ I late?” 

“A little bit, but not really,” said Daichi. “Nishinoya, Sugawara and Tanaka haven’t showed up yet, either. But we don’t have to leave for another couple of hours, so we have time.” 

Other than the three Daichi named, everyone else had arrived and were currently in the gym at Karasuno, awaiting their time of departure. They were holding the practice match at the opposing side’s gym, which was an hour drive from Karasuno. 

“So,” Kageyama said, “have you memorized the different bells, Hinata?” 

That was something else that was new: each member of the team was wearing their respective bells, tied to velcro and wrapped around their wrists (they had decided that, since they moved their arms the most during volleyball, that was where they should strap the bells). 

Hinata nodded eagerly, looking just a little  _ too  _ proud of himself. “I think so, for the most part!” said Hinata. “It’s easy to remember your bell tone, Kageyama, because you have such a low, brooding voice, like the bell is low!” 

Kageyama rounded the spiker, inevitably jostling the bell strapped to his wrist. “I do not have a brooding voice,” said Kageyama, glaring. 

“He says with a brooding voice,” added Hinata smugly, grinning.  _ Grinning _ . Oh, sometimes Kageyama wanted to  _ strangle  _ this kid…

Sugawara arrived at that moment, stepping into the gym with his bell jingling softly. Instantly, Hinata spun around, waving his hands in the older setter’s direction. 

“No, don’t tell me, don’t tell me!” he said. “I wanna guess! You’re...Nishinoya?” 

“Not quite,” said Sugawara, smiling softly as he switched out his shoes. “Good guess, though, Hinata! You were close!” 

“How are Sugawara and Nishinoya close?” Tsukishima grumbled in the background, but he went ignored by the rest of the team -- except for Daichi, who gave the blocker a stern look of warning. 

“Aww! Darn!” Hinata said, smacking his forehead. “I was sure I had it that time! You and Nishinoya have such similar sounding bells…” 

Sugawara frowned. “We do?” he inquired, looking down at said bell as if it were to blame. “I hadn’t noticed. If you think it’ll make it easier, I could find a different one and use that instead--” 

Hinata shook his head and waved his hands again. “No, this is fine!” he said. “Honest! I have everyone else’s down, so it’s just you and Nishinoya left! I know I’ll get it before the practice match!” 

“The practice match is in three hours,” said Kageyama, deadpan. 

“Like I said! I’ll get it in time! Just you watch!”

Kageyama clicked his tongue. “Good luck.” 

“Hey! You’re supposed to be on  _ my  _ side!” 

“Why would I choose to be on the losing side?” 

“YOU WANNA FIGHT, KAGEYAMA!?”   

Honestly, though, Kageyama didn’t mean a word of what he said, and he was pretty sure Hinata was aware of this. Kageyama knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Hinata would be able to call each member out just by the bells on their wrists in no time at all. 

If he could tell where one of  _ Asahi’s  _ spikes were going to land, then he could memorize the different sounds of a few bells. Hinata had been working hard to memorize the sound of each member’s assigned bell, and he had done well, considering how little time they’d had and how poor Hinata’s memory was.

_ Now let’s see if all his hard work pays off _ , Kageyama thought, even though he had no doubt that it would.

Kageyama frowned, suddenly noticing something he hadn’t before. Something smelled... _ strange _ . Not necessarily  _ bad _ , just strange. He looked around thoughtfully for a moment, and then turned to Hinata. 

“Hey, do you smell bubblegum or something?” he asked, curious. 

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Hinata flushed bright red and looked away, shifting his weight awkwardly. “I...erm…” he stuttered awkwardly. “I sort of…” What he said next came out so quietly that Kageyama didn’t catch a word of it. 

“You sort of what?” Kageyama questioned.  

Hinata fidgeted for a moment or two before answering, all in one breath and just a bit louder than before. “I sort of accidentally washed my hair with my sister’s bubble bath this morning.” 

Kageyama blinked at him and turned away. “Oh.”

Instantly, Hinata rounded him. “YOU’RE SMILING,” Hinata accused, pointing his finger. 

“No I’m not,” Kageyama lied. 

“YES, YES YOU ARE!” Hinata shouted, still bright red in the face. “IT’S NOT FUNNY! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME ABOUT THAT!? IT’S A SERIOUS PROBLEM!” 

“Just shower again.” 

“I  _ TRIED!  _ WHY ELSE DO YOU THINK I WAS LATE THIS MORNING!?” 

“Oh,” said Tsukishima; it seemed he had been eavesdropping the whole time, “so you  _ weren’t  _ just slacking off as usual? How shocking.” 

Hinata looked like he would say something else, but he didn’t have the chance -- Nishinoya and Tanaka chose that moment to show up, lugging their duffel bags over their shoulders, their bells tied to their wrists.

“Good morning Karasuno!” cheered Tanaka, waving a hand at each member in turn. “So who’s ready to kick some lesser-player butts?” He cracked his knuckles as if for emphasis. 

“YEAHA!” agreed Nishinoya, nodding firmly. 

Daichi sighed wearily. “It’s too early for this…” 

Nishinoya paused suddenly, a look of confusion crossing over his face, and he sniffed the air. “Hey, is someone chewing gum?” he asked, slipping his bag over his shoulder and onto the ground. 

Hinata sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands, looking like he’d rather sink into the ground and never be seen again than answer Nishinoya’s question. He turned to Kageyama, looking defeated.  

“Can you please knock me out?” Hinata asked.  

“No.”  

“Why not?” Hinata moaned. 

“Because Kenma will kill me, that’s why.” 

The argument lasted another five minutes, and when the bus was finally ready, they loaded up and headed off. 

* * *

If there was one thing Kageyama hadn’t been counting on, it was the gossip. 

The other team would just not. Stop.  _ Gossiping _ . 

Kageyama wanted to pummel every single one of them, but Daichi was watching, so he obviously couldn’t do that. 

“Is he really blind?” the opposing team’s number four whispered to their number five, just barely loud enough for Kageyama to hear. Kageyama spun around, just in time to see their number four lower a finger, which had been pointed at Hinata. 

The number five looked over his shoulder at Hinata, who was standing on the other side of the gym with the rest of Karasuno. “I think he is,” said number five. “Bummer. If we play our cards right, this game’ll be a synch.” 

It was just a practice match, sure, but that didn’t mean they weren’t taking it seriously.  _ Both  _ teams were planning on giving it their all. 

“Just try and aim your spikes at the blind kid,” the other team’s number five went on, and Kageyama clenched his teeth, “and we should be fine. He won’t be able to receive.” 

_ It’s just gossip _ , Kageyama thought to himself, trying to calm down.  _ It’s just gossip, it’s just gossip, they have no idea what they’re talking about, save all the fighting for the game, they’ll probably bench me if I punch them in the face… _

_ I could make it look like an accident.  _

_ But Daichi will notice either way... _

“I feel bad,” said the other team’s number nine, but his sympathy sounded fake, and he eyed Hinata almost fiendishly. “Having that blind kid play middle blocker...it’s kinda cruel of Karasuno, don’t you think?” 

“Well,  _ they’re _ the ones who decided to let him play,” number four argued, “so it’s their problem, not ours.” 

Kageyama balled his fists.  _ Screw it I’m gonna punch them all in the face.  _

At the last second, though, Hinata stopped him by reaching out blindly and grabbing Kageyama’s arm -- the arm with the bell. Kabeyama stared at him in confusion. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Hinata said, his voice low and somewhat hesitant. “I’m sure everybody we play against is going to think the same thing. It’s okay. Besides…” 

There was something doleful about Hinata’s voice, and it only got worse as he continued. 

“...I’m probably going to have to get used to being labeled as ‘the blind kid’ when we’re on the court,” Hinata said.

Kageyama winced. That hurt. “Hinata--” 

“Well, anyways,” Hinata interrupted him with a shrug, and the tone of his voice became somewhat more enthusiastic, “they’re technically not  _ wrong _ . It’s not a smart move to have a blind person as your middle blocker.” 

Kageyama swallowed hard. “Hinata--” he tried again, and was once more cut off.  

“ _ At least _ ,” Hinata stopped him, putting up a finger, “that’s what they’ll _ think _ . But the more they underestimate me, the more powerful the blow is when I finally land it, am I right?” 

Kageyama deadpanned. “Well, you’re not  _ wrong _ .” 

Hinata smiled, just slightly, and then, over his shoulder, “Tanaka, Nishinoya, I can hear you. You can stop trying to intimidate them, their comments don’t matter to me.” 

Instantly, Tanaka and Nishinoya backed off, grumbling under their breath. Kageyama couldn’t make everything out, but it sounded suspiciously like, “Either way, we’ll show them who’s boss.”  

Shortly afterwards, the players shook hands, and the game began. The opposing side was serving first. 

_ From what I know about this team,  _ Kageyama thought to himself,  _ they’re all strong servers, and that’s about all they’ve got going for them. If we can cut off their serves on the first go, we’ll have the upper hand.  _

The ball was served by the other team, and it rocketed over the net. 

Kageyama watched its course, and then blanched.  _ They aimed it at Hinata _ . 

He should have been expecting it, really. After all, it made sense to serve to the person least likely to receive it. But it still filled Kageyama with anger. 

Hinata paused a moment -- and then, he put out his hands and received the serve dead-on. 

“Ha!” Hinata said, grinning. “They aimed it at me! I knew they would!” 

“ _ I _ told you they would,” Tsukishima corrected under his breath. 

The other team was so shocked by this development that they completely forgot about the ball, which dropped onto their side of the court after Hinata’s long receive. 

After that, the game shifted entirely. The other team didn’t underestimate Hinata after that, but that didn’t stop them from aiming all the balls they could at him. Hinata received at least three quarters of them, and whenever he missed one, all he said was, “I’ll get it next time!” 

Honestly, it was pretty amazing. Kageyama already respected Hinata enough as it was, but as of recently, his respect for the spiker had at least doubled. 

“Hey!” Nishinoya yelled, when another server aimed for Hinata -- and Hinata received it. “I’m here, too! I wanna receive the ball! Bring it on!” 

When it was Kageyama’s turn to serve, he stood behind the line for a longer time than usual, thinking.  _ Okay, let’s see _ … he hummed to himself, looking over the other side of the court at each opposing member in turn.  _ Which of you were the first to serve at Hinata…? Oh, that’s right, number eight. Okay. Let’s see how good  _ you  _ are at receiving a serve that’s aimed directly at you _ . 

“Kageyama! Serve them a nice one!” Hinata shouted at the setter over his shoulder, flashing him a thumbs-up. 

Kageyama nodded in agreement. “Obviously.” 

He served the ball, directly at the other team’s number eight. Just as Kageyama had hoped, he failed to receive it, and another point was added to Karasuno’s score. 

He wasn’t positive, but he was pretty sure he heard Sugawara ask, “Is it just me, or was that serve a lot more powerful than usual?” 

* * *

The game was over relatively quickly, 2-0 with Karasuno taking both sets. Honestly, Kageyama was far from surprised. Karasuno was already a more powerful school, and the other team made a lot of common mistakes -- like underestimating their opponents, for example. 

But still. Seeing one serve after another, sent directly at Hinata...it made Kageyama want to punch something (or, more over, some _ one _ ). And this was, surely, the first of many times that teams would target Hinata. It made sense, but it still infuriated the setter to no end. 

That, and as he’d been leaving the gym earlier, trailing behind the rest of his teammates, he’d overheard a conversation between the other team’s eight and nine. 

“Geez, I wasn’t expecting that blind kid to actually do much,” eight had said to nine, while scratching the back of his head. 

“I bet most of that was just pure, dumb luck,” nine had replied with a snigger. “After all, he’s  _ blind _ .” 

Kageyama wanted to punch them. He’d wanted to punch them,  _ so badly _ , especially when he remembered all the  _ pain  _ Hinata had went through, every single disheartening, discouraging practice Hinata had barreled through, just because he was stubborn and wanted to stay on the court with his teammates. 

He’d wanted to punch them. He’d wanted to scream at them. They didn’t know. They didn’t know what Hinata had been through. They didn’t know what Hinata had faced, just because of some freak accident. 

But Kageyama hadn’t attacked them, as much as he wanted to. He knew it wasn’t what Hinata would have wanted. 

Either way, his fury was not quenched. He  _ still  _ wanted to teach the other team a lesson. 

Kageyama was currently refilling his water bottle at a fountain for the drive home when he heard a bell ring just behind him -- a bell he soon realized belonged to Tsukishima. (“Tsukishima’s bell sounds edgy and irritating,” Hinata described it, “so it’s easy to remember, because it matches his personality,” to which Tsukishima replied, “Then if you had a bell, it’d be the loudest and most annoying of all.”). 

Tsukishima stepped up next to him, and though he wasn’t looking in Kageyama’s direction, it was obvious that his intention was to speak with the setter. 

Kageyama capped his water bottle. “Tsukishima,” he said, nodding stiffly. 

Tsukishima nodded back, equally stiffly. “King,” he said. There was a brief pause before Tsukishima spoke again. “So,” he said, examining his fingernail idly, “I’m sure you noticed the other team’s treatment of Hinata.” 

Kageyama clenched his teeth. Tsukishima was probably as furious as Kageyama was about this fact, though the middle blocker did a better job of hiding it. 

“You know,” said Tsukishima, tapping his chin in mock thought, “I’m pretty sure the other team has another game soon. Wouldn’t it be unfortunate if they suddenly lost all their gear?” 

Kageyama pondered this statement, caught on with what Tsukishima was insinuating, and then nodded. “Consider it done,” he said. “I’m sure you also got your revenge?” 

Tsukishima nodded. “Of course,” he said. Though he said it nonchalantly, there was a gleam in his eyes that could only be described as  _ evil  _ and maybe even  _ twisted _ . “They’ll be experiencing quite a few... _ unexplainable  _ vehicle problems on the way to their next match.” 

“...Nice.” 

“Thanks.” 

* * *

 

Hinata was the first to crash on the drive home to Karasuno, with Kageyama sitting next to him on the bus and Kags the service dog curled at his feet, dozing. Up ahead, Nishinoya and Tanaka played cards up front, Asahi and Daichi talked, Tsukishima listened to music, Yamaguchi stared thoughtfully out the window...everyone was doing what they usually did on long, returning-home drives when they weren’t too tired. 

“He’s sleeping,” said Sugawara, and Kageyama looked up. The older setter smiled getly at him, his comment directed at the spiker leaning against Kageyama, resting. 

“Well, yeah,” said Kageyama. “It’s probably a lot of mental stress, listening for different sounds like that…” Kageyama frowned, then sighed. “He’s ridiculous. Doesn’t know when to stop.” 

Sugawara laughed softly at that. “Yes,” he agreed, “but that can be said about all of us, can’t it?” 

Kageyama nodded. Sure, Hinata was stubborn, but so was everybody else, so he fit right in. “...I still don’t know how he does it,” Kageyama admitted. “Listening, like he does. It’s...it’s…” 

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” said Sugawara. “Frankly, I don’t know how he does it either, but since he mentioned it, I’ve tried listening, too. Sometimes I can hear the ball in the air, but only when there’s an especially powerful spike or serve. The fact that Hinata’s able to do it every time…” Sugawara sighed, and then said, in awe, “It’s amazing.” 

Kageyama couldn’t disagree with that, and he was sure nobody else could, too. He nodded, and then went right back to staring out the window, with Hinata’s head leaning against his shoulder. 

There was silence for a little while, and then, it was broken.   

“...You’re a good friend, Kageyama.” 

Kageyama blinked, confused, at Sugawara. “I don’t know what you mean.” 

“I don’t think you realize how much you’ve done for Hinata,” Sugawara said. “Honestly, compared to what you’ve done, none of us have done anything.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“You and Hinata fight more than anyone else I know,” said Sugawara, “but you understand each other, and Hinata trusts you. He may not act like it, but he does. After the accident...whenever he needed a friend, you were there for him. When he didn’t think he had anyone to turn to, you made yourself available.” 

“...Sure,” said Kageyama, “but isn’t that what friends do anyway? What’s the big deal?” 

Sugawara shook his head. “You act like it’s nothing,” he said, “but really, it’s  _ everything _ . When someone suffers, from physical or emotional trauma, they need support. A  _ lot  _ of support, from their friends and family especially. You gave him that support.” 

“But you guys did, too,” said Kageyama. He didn’t understand this at all. 

“Yes,” said Sugawara, thoughtfully, “but none of us understand Hinata as well as you do. You weren’t afraid to yell at him, to tell him what he needed to hear when he didn’t listen to anyone else. He respects you. He’s told me himself.” 

Kageyama looked down. “I’ve never really...considered myself a good friend.” Truth be told, before Karasuno, he’d never really  _ had  _ friends. The entire concept of “friends” and real “teammates” was still relatively new to him. 

Sugawara chuckled softly. “Hinata would probably call you an idiot if he heard you say that.”  

“He calls me an idiot anyway.” 

“Ah, true, true…but I mean it. You’re a good friend to him. That’s exactly what he needs right now.” 

Kageyama didn’t know what to say for the longest time. 

And then, “Thank you, Sugawara,” he said. 

Sugawara smiled. “You’re welcome,” he said. “And for the record, even though most people compare you and Hinata with oil and water, I still think you’re more like gasoline and a blowtorch.” 

“I’ll...keep that in mind.” 

* * *

About mid-drive home, the rest of the team finally gave into exhaustion and slept. All except for Kageyama, who stayed awake, looking out the window, thinking. Today’s match had gone well, but it was only one out of the many matches they’d face in the future. They’d face stronger teams, teams stronger than the ones they’d faced today and teams stronger than themselves, too. 

_ Well, it doesn’t matter what we face in the future,  _ Kageyama decided, shutting his eyes and leaning against the window of the bus.

_ As long as Hinata stays on the court with us… _

_...That’ll be enough. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello peeps! I am so sorry for taking so long. I still use Fanfiction.net for most my postings and stuff, and I'm still getting used to using AO3, sooo...I'm sorry for taking so long (plus I kinda forget I have an account on here sometimes, unfortunately...)
> 
> But I wanted to let you know, on my FF.net account, this story's up to, like, 16 chapters or something, I think, so if you want more of the story more quickly you can visit me there. *points* Same username, same story title, same me. :) I'm gonna try and dish out chapters on this site quick, too, from here on out, at least until I catch up with my FF story. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope to see you guys soon either on FF.net or on here! :) Thank you all so much for your continued support and I hope to see you soon! :) 
> 
> Ja nee!


	8. OMAKE - Because I'm Your Friend

 

The first thing Kageyama noticed at school one boring Monday was this:

Hinata was not there.

Usually, Kageyama bumped into Hinata in between classes or during lunch break, and they'd chat for a couple of minutes before racing to their classes, usually winding up late because of these chats. Hinata had an excuse (“Sorry, I'm so sorry, I kept bumping into stuff and couldn't find my way here!”) and this excuse worked even though he had a _freaking service animal_ with him at all times.

Kageyama, though, was not as lucky, not that it mattered, because he'd never had a clean slate when it came to school, anyways.

But it was weird not seeing Hinata in between classes, or at lunch. Kageyama couldn't help but wonder where he was.

_Maybe his mom kept him home again_ , Kageyama thought to himself, as he headed to his final class for the day. _But usually he texts us in the group chat to let us know he's not coming..._

This was strange, even for Hinata. Finally, mid-way through the last class, Kageyama could take it no longer. While the teacher turned his back to the class to write on the board, Kageyama slipped his phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and silently sent a text to Hinata from under the desk.

_From: Kageyama Tobio_   
_To: Stupid Hinata_   
_Re: School  
Where the heck are you, idiot?_

He sent the message, pocketed his phone, and went right back to pretending he was paying attention to the lesson. He waited a while for Hinata's response, the teacher's words going in one ear and out the other, but no reply came.

Kageyama pulled out his phone again, being just as careful as before, and sent another message.

_From: Kageyama Tobio_   
_To: Stupid Hinata_   
_Re: School  
Oy, answer your phone, idiot._

He waited again. Still nothing. This confused him, a lot. Hinata didn't always respond to his texts _right away,_ but he usually responded relatively quickly (considering it was Kageyama who was texting him, he was probably afraid not to), but getting no response from Hinata _at all_ was...weird.

Plus the fact he hadn't been at school all day...

After class, when Kageyama didn't have to worry about being spotted by a teacher, Kageyama sent another text to Hinata.

_From: Kageyama Tobio_   
_To: Stupid Hinata_   
_Re: School  
Are you mad at me or something? Answer your phone._

And when he didn't receive a response for another fifteen minutes, he sent yet another text.

_From: Kageyama Tobio_   
_To: Stupid Hinata_   
_Re: School  
Seriously where are you?_

When he _still_ didn't get any sort of reply, he grew worried. Hinata wasn't answering his phone, something he usually did. Kageyama instantly began thinking the worst, because he didn't know what else to think in this situation.

_What if he's hurt? What if he's in the hospital again? What if he fell down the stairs?_

(Kageyama still thought it was ridiculously stupid that Hinata chose to sleep upstairs when he was blind. It was definitely something Kageyama would never do, even if it was the only option he had.)

_From: Kageyama Tobio_   
_To: Stupid Hinata_   
_Re: School  
Oy. Idiot. You're worrying me now. Where are you?_

He waited. Still nothing. So, instead of sending another text, he resorted to calling. He dialed Hinata's number from memory and waited for him to pick up.

He didn't. Kageyama called him again, but the spiker _still_ didn't answer. So Kageyama went back to texting, because he didn't know what else to do, and he was becoming increasingly worried.

Finally, _finally_ , his phone vibrated, and he practically broke the hinge in his race to flip it open.

_From: Stupid Hinata_   
_Re: School  
This is Natsu. Stop texting my brother._

Kageyama stared down at the text, a mixture of surprised and confused. What was Hinata's little sister doing with his phone? More importantly, where was Hinata?

Kageyama thought about texting again and asking Natsu just why Hinata wasn't answering him, but he thought better of it a moment later. Natsu was scary when she wanted to be.

So instead of doing that, Kageyama sent a text to the next person that came to mind.

_From: Kageyama Tobio_   
_To: Sugawara Kōshi_   
_Re: Hinata??  
Do you know where Hinata is?_

He stood there, without closing his phone, waiting; Sugawara usually got back to him pretty quickly. Sure enough, a few moments later, there was Sugawara's response. Kageyama opened the message and read it to himself.

_From: Sugawara Kōshi_  
_To: Kageyama Tobio_  
_Re: Hinata??  
_ _Oh. Takeda-sensei said Hinata called in sick this morning, so he shouldn't be there during club, either. Sorry Kageyama, I should have told you sooner._

Kageyama was relieved – but also infuriated at the same time. All his panic and worry and it turned out Hinata was just _sick?_ He was glad his worries hadn't been reality, of course, but still.

_From: Kageyama Tobio_   
_To: Sugawara Kōshi_   
_Re: Hinata??  
Okay, thanks. I'm gonna go kill him now._

_From: Sugawara Kōshi_   
_To: Kageyama Tobio_   
_Re: Hinata??  
Okay. I assume you won't be at club?_

Sugawara wasn't fazed whatsoever by Kageyama's threat; Kageyama threatened Hinata all too often for anyone to be fazed by it anymore, or take him seriously. They knew by now Kageyama would never actually do anything intentionally against Hinata.

_From: Kageyama Tobio_   
_To: Sugawara Kōshi_   
_Re: Hinata??  
No, I won't be there. Sorry._

 

_From: Sugawara Kōshi_   
_To: Kageyama Tobio_   
_Re: Hinata??  
No worries. :) I need the extra practice setting, anyways. :) I'll let the rest of the team know for you. Tell Hinata I said hi._

_From: Kageyama Tobio_   
_To: Sugawara Kōshi_   
_Re: Hinata??  
Will do. Thanks, Sugawara._

_From: Sugawara Kōshi_   
_To: Kageyama Tobio_   
_Re: Hinata??  
No problem! :D_

* * *

 

Natsu was _not_ happy to see Kageyama. When she answered the door, literally the only thing she did was frown at him, almost like she couldn't _believe_ he had the nerve to come here.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, and when she spoke, she didn't sound necessarily _angry;_ maybe a little frustrated, but overall, genuinely curious -- maybe even a little suspicious. Kageyama still didn't think she trusted him one hundred percent.

“I came over to see your brother,” Kageyama told her, hoping it would be enough. “Can I come in?”

Natsu thought this over for a minute, and then stepped aside. Maybe she _did_ trust him a little bit after all. “Sure,” she said, “but don't bug him. Mom went to the store to grab something, and she told me not to bug him, so you shouldn't, either.”

“Alright,” Kageyama said, accepting her invitation in, pulling off his shoes right away while Natsu shut (and locked) the door behind him. “Thanks.”

Natsu nodded firmly and scampered off, disappearing around a corner a moment later. She didn't need to show Kageyama up to Hinata's room; Kageyama had been here enough times to know exactly where it was.

Kageyama climbed the stairs and knocked twice on Hinata's closed door. There was no response, and the door was unlocked, so Kageyama let himself in quietly.

Hinata was sleeping, covered by what looked like at least five blankets. His cheeks were flushed, while the rest of his face a sickly, pasty white. His service animal was curled up at the foot of the bed, and he stirred for a moment when Kageyama entered – but only for a moment, because the dog went right back to sleeping a moment later.

Kageyama sighed heavily, slipping his school backpack off his shoulder and onto the floor.

“Idiot…” he muttered, even though he was sure Hinata couldn't hear him. “How'd you get yourself sick?”

“Meh...dunno.”

Kageyama jumped involuntarily, rounding the owner of the voice. Hinata blinked at him, his fogged eyes fever-bright and glassy.

“I thought you were sleeping,” Kageyama said.

“Kinda...not really,” Hinata said, sitting up; Kags stirred once again, raising his head to look at his owner. When he realized Hinata wasn't going anywhere and thereby didn't need assistance, he went back to sleep again.

“What're you doing here, Bakayama?”

“You weren’t at school, and you didn't answer your phone,” Kageyama said, pulling Hinata's desk chair closer to the bed and sitting down on it. “I thought you'd died or something.”

Hinata smiled tiredly. “Almost did once or twice,” he said. “I got up earlier to get some water and kinda forgot there was a staircase…”

“You have a service dog.”

“...Yeeeeah I forgot I had him, too.”

Kags perked up again and looked at Hinata, confused, and almost _betrayed_ . He barked quietly at Hinata – that stupid bark that sounded suspiciously like _baka –_ and laid down, sleeping again.

Kageyama smirked. “For once,” he said, “me and the dog agree on something, you _baka_.”

“Ugh. Leave me _aloooooone_ ,” Hinata moaned, flopping back and pulling his blankets over his head. “I'm sick.” His voice was muffled. “Go away.”

“Idiot, you’re going to make yourself sicker with all those blankets,” Kageyama groaned. Honestly, sometimes he couldn’t believe just how blatantly _stupid_ Hinata was. It was both comical and obnoxious; it made him want to laugh at Hinata, and then smack him a few seconds later.  

“Don’t care,” Hinata muttered back, rolling over so his back faced Kageyama. “Don’t you have anything better to do than make fun of me?”

“Not really.”

“What about homework?”

“...Crap.”

“Yeah I thought so.”

* * *

 

A little while later, Kageyama heard the front door open, followed by Natsu explaining to her and Hinata's mother that “Nii-san's scary friend from the volleyball club” was currently visiting. Kageyama couldn’t help being a _little_ offended, but only a little, of course; he knew just how scary he could be, so Natsu wasn’t technically _wrong_.

Hinata was sleeping on and off throughout Kageyama’s entire visit. He didn’t say much when he was awake, not that Kageyama was expecting him to. Kageyama was still sitting on the chair by the bedside, only now he had pulled his homework from his backpack and was working on that, bearing down against his knee.

He would really rather just give his homework to Kags and have the dog tear it up -- that way Kageyama could use the “my friend’s dog ate my homework” excuse -- but Kags was sleeping, now curled against Hinata’s chest with Hinata’s arms wrapped around him, and Kageyama didn’t have the heart to disturb either of them.

Another while passed. Kageyama was still stuck on the fourth question in the exam that was due Friday. It was over for him, and he knew it. He didn’t remember ever studying for this test -- didn’t remember any teacher ever even _going over_ it before.

Finally, he moved on to the next question. He really hated this. After a while went and he still had no luck, he reached over, poking Hinata’s shoulder with the eraser of his pencil.

“Whad’ya want?” Hinata slurred, sounding half-asleep. “I’m tired. Leave me alone.”

Kageyama poked him again. “Oy. Have you taken your temperature recently?”

“No.”

“Do it now.”

“No.”

“Hinata.”

“Go away.”  

Kageyama stood up, put his homework and pencil on the floor, and then rounded Hinata’s desk. On it, there was a braille board and some other school supplies, and then a bottle of water, some cold patches, and a thermometer. Natsu or their mother must have left these for Hinata.

_And of course the idiot didn’t use any of them_ , Kageyama sighed to himself with a mental note to smack Hinata as soon as he was feeling better. He grabbed the thermometer, turned it on, and then sat back down on the chair.

Kageyama took up his pencil and prodded Hinata’s shoulder once more. “Up.”

“No.”

Kageyama poked him again. “Yes.”

“No.”

Poke. “Yes.”

“No.”

Poke. “Yes.”

“No -- would you stop that!?” Hinata reached around, blindly grabbed Kageyama’s pencil, and threw it across the room. It found resistance against the wall, broke in two pieces, and hit the floor.

Kageyama frowned. “You owe me a pencil.”

“Can you please leave me alone?”

“No.” He poked Hinata again, this time with the thermometer. “Take your temperature. And don’t even think about throwing this around.”

Hinata sighed heavily, finally relenting, probably realizing that Kageyama was never going to give up. “Fine,” Hinata said, sitting up and shaking his head, probably to wake himself up a little. He looked just as bad as before, if not worse. He held out his hand expectantly. “Give it here.”

Kageyama handed it to him, and Hinata stuck the tip of the thermometer under his tongue.

Kageyama leaned back in the chair, satisfied. “You know the saying, ‘Idiots don’t catch colds?’” said Kageyama.

Hinata frowned at him, but it was more of a glare. He pulled the thermometer out of his mouth momentarily. “I think I know where you’re going with this,” he grumbled, “and I’m just gonna say right now that obviously, since I’m sick, I’m not an idiot.”  

“No,” said Kageyama, “I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say that you have to be even _more_ of an idiot than I thought if you’re able to catch a cold while still being an idiot.”

Hinata threw a pillow at him blindly, but his aim was so off Kageyama barely had to move to avoid it.

Hinata stuck the thermometer back in his mouth and leaned against the headboard of his bed, his arms crossed over his chest. “You suck,” he muttered quietly.

“If you hadn’t gotten sick this wouldn’t have happened.”

“I didn’t ask you to visit me.”

“It’s your fault for not answering my calls or texts. Now shut your mouth, you’re going to screw up the reading.”

Hinata definitely didn’t want to, but he listened to Kageyama, though his half-hearted, tired glare didn’t falter. If Hinata didn’t look so pathetic right now, Kageyama might actually feel threatened by it.

The thermometer beeped, and Hinata took it and handed it to Kageyama. “What does it say?” Hinata muttered.

Kageyama eyed the digital numbers with a frown.

_39.3._

“Well you’re definitely sick,” Kageyama said, turning the thermometer off and setting it back on the desk, “I’ll give you that. Guess idiots _can_ catch colds.”

Hinata sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping in defeat (and maybe a little bit of disappointment, too). “Are you going to keep being a royal jerk or can I go to sleep again?”

“You can go to sleep, but I’m going to wake you up later and check your temperature again, deal?”

Hinata pulled his blankets up over his head and rolled over on his side; Kags repositioned himself, curling against his owner. “No,” Hinata muttered. “No deal.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll make you do it.”

“You really _are_ a jerk.”

“You’re gonna have to learn to deal with that, too, if you’re going to keep being a brat over taking your temperature.”

“Goodbye, I’m ignoring you now.”  

* * *

 

It didn’t get any better as the afternoon turned into evening, and evening into night. Kageyama had phoned his parents, letting them know he’d be home late because he was visiting a sick friend, and then spoke with Hinata’s mother regarding an extended visit.

At first, Hinata’s mother had objected to Kageyama staying _at all_ , just in case Hinata was contagious, but Kageyama assured her that he didn’t get sick easily, and even if he did, he didn’t mind. Afterwards, Hinata’s mother had graciously offered to let him stay the night, if he didn’t want to walk home by himself after dark.

Kageyama had accepted the offer, and here he was, still up in Hinata’s stuffy room, trying (and failing) to do his homework.

Kageyama had stuck a cold patch to Hinata’s forehead a little while ago, when he was frustrated by the temperature’s second reading (39.7, not too bad but higher than it was before). After that, Hinata had gone to sleep, and since then hadn’t woken up.

Kageyama got up from the chair and cracked the window, then returned to his seat and his homework, which he surely wouldn’t get a passing grade on.

Right now, he sort of felt like he was making up for past time, from back when Hinata was in the hospital and Kageyama had barely visited. He’d always regretted not visiting the spiker with the rest of the team when they went for frequent (almost daily) visits.

So Kageyama was more than happy to watch over Hinata now, because now he didn’t feel quite as guilty for not paying the hospital more visits.

Hinata wasn’t exactly sleeping, but he wasn’t exactly awake, either. He dozed restlessly on and off, beads of sweat rolling down his flushed cheeks; Kageyama decided he was definitely worse than he’d been when the setter first arrived.

_I wonder if I should get his mom…_ Kageyama thought, and then decided that he would wake Mrs. Hinata if Hinata’s temperature got into the forties on the thermometer.

But he was worried now. His homework forgotten entirely, he watched Hinata like a hawk from his chair by the bedside, Kags the service dog doing the same, though much more subtly. Kageyama bit his lip, entwining his fingers and resting his chin on them, his elbows on his knees.       

He thought for a moment or two, and then reached over, gently poking Hinata’s shoulder. “Hey, idiot,” Kageyama said quietly, “wake up for a sec.”

Hinata stirred, and then blinked open tired, glassy eyes to glance in Kageyama’s general direction. He looked worse when he was awake. “Whaddup?” he slurred, his voice a quiet rasp. He didn’t even sound angry for being awoken, and this bothered Kageyama more than anything. The fact that he didn’t even feel up to putting up a fight anymore was extremely worrying.

“Sorry. I wanna take your temp again,” Kageyama said, grabbing the thermometer off the desk again. Hinata didn’t even sit up this time; he just accepted the thermometer from Kageyama and stuck it under his tongue. After that, he shut his eyes again.

Kageyama waited impatiently for the reading, and when it finally came, he took the thermometer (he was pretty sure Hinata was sleeping again) and checked the digital numbers.

_39.8._

He bit his lip.

“What’s it say?” Hinata asked him, cracking open his eyes. It seemed he was not as asleep as Kageyama initially thought.

Kageyama turned off the thermometer and set it aside. “Not any better,” Kageyama answered. He didn’t give Hinata the whole truth (that he was steadily getting worse) because he assumed that was information Hinata didn’t need to know.

Not now, anyways.

“Just go to sleep, idiot,” Kageyama said, checking his phone for the time. “It’s late.”

Hinata nodded tiredly and took his advice.

Kageyama knew he was bad at this. He was _bad at this_ , this whole “taking care of his friends” thing, and if it didn’t show before, it was definitely showing now. He felt completely useless right now. He was pretty sure Kags the freaking _service dog_ could take care of Hinata better than he, Kageyama, a person, could.

This was ridiculous. This was _all_ ridiculous and Kageyama hated it. He should have been better at stuff like this. What was he supposed to do? Hinata was sleeping fitfully again; should Kageyama go get his mother? Should he try and get him to drink some water? Replace the cold patch? Find some ibuprofen or something?

Kageyama didn’t quite know what to do and he hated it

So he paced. He paced relentlessly, his steps creating hollow _thumps_ against the floor below. He shut the window and went back to pacing; he put his homework back in his backpack and went back to pacing; he replaced the cold plaster on Hianta’s forehead and went back to pacing.

Pacing, pacing, pacing, pacing--

“I can hear you. Stop it.”

Kageyama halted mid-step, and then murmured “Sorry” and crossed the room, taking residence on the chair once again.

“You don’t need to worry,” Hinata told him, not bothering to open his eyes. It wasn’t like he could actually _see_ Kageyama, anyway. “I get bugs like this a lot. I’ll be fine.”

Kageyama swallowed. Seeing Hinata bedridden brought back some unpleasant memories.

“...You kinda look like you’re dying,” Kageyama said, twiddling his thumbs.

“Yep, but’m not. I’ll be fine. Chill out.”   

Kageyama thought this over, and then nodded. Hinata was right (even though Kageyama didn’t want to admit it). Worrying wasn’t going to benefit either of them.

“You don’t have to stay, y’know,” Hinata told him quietly, but frankly. “You’ve got school tomorrow, you can go home--”

“No thanks, I’ll pass.”

“Ya serious? Why?”

“Because you’re sick, obviously.”

“...But...why?”

Kageyama sighed heavily. “Because I’m your _friend_ , idiot.”

There was a pause, and then, “...Okay,” Hinata said, and he sounded genuinely grateful beneath his exhaustion. “Thanks...”

Kageyama nodded. “Yeah, whatever, just get some sleep.”  

“Okay, Bakayama.”

“Oy. _You’re_ the idiot here, not me.”

“Keep tellin’ yourself that…”

He opened his mouth to say something else, and then stopped. Hinata had fallen asleep again.

He sighed heavily and put two fingers against his temple. Well, in the end, it didn’t really matter whether he knew what to do in this situation or not. Just being there was enough.

That what friends really did, wasn’t it? Real friends, anyways, the true ones. They stuck with each other, supported each other, were overall just _there_ for each other.

_Yeah,_ Kageyama decided, _I guess just being here’s enough for now_ …

Tomorrow morning, when Mrs. Hinata crept quietly up the stairs to check on her son, she found Kageyama asleep on the floor and Hinata sleeping soundly, his fever finally broken. A little later on, Kageyama thanked Mrs. Hinata for her hospitality, bade the sleeping spiker farewell, and headed back to his own house.

And if Kageyama had to call in sick at school tomorrow because he caught Hinata’s virus, well…

...Hinata didn’t need to know that.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long again, guys. I really need to get better at this... :/ But thank you for your patience! :D I hope you all still enjoy the story, and thank you so much for all your continued support on it! :)
> 
> Oh, btw, the "omakes" are just little bonus chapters that will pop up every now and then that I'll write and post while working on the rest of the actual timeline. I'll be sure to label all of the "omake" chapters as "Omakes" like I did with this one. :) 
> 
> Just wanted to let you all know. 
> 
> Anyways, I think that's it! :D I'll see you guys again soon! :)


	9. OMAKE - Hinata Protection Squad

 

 He was in pain. That was really the only thing he was fully aware of at the moment. 

His head hurt, his face hurt, his ankle hurt, his chest hurt, and there was something cold against his cheek -- cement, probably, the sidewalk of the school grounds. He was vaguely aware of Kags, still growling and snarling; not at him, of course. At something else. 

At some _ one _ else. 

Hinata wasn’t actually sure what happened, but he could speculate. He’d actually gotten pretty good at speculating recently, because now that he couldn’t see, the only thing he had left were the imagines his imagination thought up (and the sounds he heard, of course). 

Somebody had hurt him. Not by accident. Somebody had hurt him with the intention of hurting him. Someone had hurt him on purpose. 

He pushed himself onto his hands, feeling stray tears streak down his face. He didn’t know why he was crying. Maybe it was a mixture of things; maybe it was his body finally caving in after everything he’d been through the past couple months, dealing with stress and fear and, of course, the fact that he’d been robbed of his sight. 

Adding this to the mix was...just too much. 

So he cried. Kags stopped snarling and moved over to him curiously, and Hinata judged the distance and lunged, wrapping his arms around his service dog tightly -- the only living comfort he had at the moment. 

He didn’t want to move. He hoped his ankle was just sprained, but it didn’t exactly feel  _ right _ . He really hoped it wasn’t broken. 

He was breathing too fast. His heart was too fast. His thoughts were too fast. Everything was just  _ too fast  _ and he couldn’t think anymore. 

Finally, after a long time of just doing nothing but clinging to Kags like his life depended on it, Hinata finally managed to fish his phone from his pocket. He called the first person who came to mind and held the phone to his ear with a shaking hand. 

And then he waited, tears still streaming down his face, his breathing still much too fast. 

_ “Yeah, what do you want, idiot?”  _

And then came Kageyama’s voice, and Hinata could have laughed in relief. Could have. 

“K-Kageyama,” he stuttered and choked around his harsh breathing.

That was all he got the chance to say before Kageyama’s tone changed entirely. 

_ “Hinata, what happened?”  _ he demanded instantly -- maybe even a little bit frantically, too.  _ “What happened? Where are you? Hinata, talk to me.”  _

“K-Kageyama, I…” Hinata tried again, but it was getting increasingly hard to breathe and he was feeling lightheaded. “N-Near the...t-the end of the s-school grounds…” 

He heard footsteps. Kageyama was running.  _ “Okay. I’m coming. Stay on the phone. Don’t you dare hang up.”  _

Even if Kageyama hadn’t threatened him, Hinata wouldn’t have even  _ thought  _ about hanging up. He needed someone.  _ Anyone _ . He didn’t know why but he needed someone with him right now, and Kageyama would be there soon. 

_ “Oi, idiot! Stay on the phone with me!”  _

Hinata nodded -- and then remembered that Kageyama couldn’t see him. “O-Okay,” he stuttered. His breathing was all over the place. He could feel an unnatural darkness creeping in on him and prayed he didn’t pass out. 

_ “Breathe. I can tell you’re panicking. You’ve gotta breathe.”  _

“I c-cant.” He paused. “Kageyama, I’m...I-I’m scared.”  

He heard Kageyama swear.  _ “Just...just  _ hang in there _ , Hinata. Hang in there, I’m almost there.”  _

“H-Hurry. P-P-Please.”   

He tried calming down, really, he did, but the rest of his body just wasn’t having it. The longer this went on, the harder it was to think and breathe. It reminded him of his panic attack from before. 

_ Is...is this another panic attack?  _

He really hoped it wasn’t. 

_ “Are you by a building?”  _

Hinata reached over; his hand met a brick wall. “Y-Yes.”

_ “Okay. Hang on.”  _

He could hear the panic in Kageyama’s voice, too. The setter had done a good job of hiding it before, but now, it was beginning to leak into Kageyama’s voice, and Hinata could tell. 

_ Please find me _ , he pleaded desperately.  _ Please find me, please find me, please find me--  _

He suddenly heard footsteps. Kags jumped away from him and snarled (once again, not at him), probably to protect Hinata just in case the bullies had returned. 

But then, Kags stopped, and Hinata knew he was saved. 

“Hinata!” That was Kageyama’s voice, and he heard it from his phone  _ and  _ from right in front of him. The call ended, and Kageyama’s hands were suddenly on his shoulders, squeezing tightly. 

“Hinata, listen to me,” Kageyama said firmly, shaking him just enough to get his attention. “It’s okay. You’re safe. Do you feel this, idiot?” He shook him again. “I’m here.” 

Hinata still couldn’t breathe properly, but he felt a little better now that he wasn’t alone. “K-Kageyama…” 

“Breathe. Four seconds in, four seconds out. Remember, you’re okay. It’s scary, but you’re okay. You can get through this. Just breathe.” 

Kageyama was handing this much better than before. Hinata listened to him and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths through his nose and releasing the breaths from his mouth.

“Better?” Kageyama asked. 

Hinata nodded shakily. 

“Okay. Tell me what you need right now.” Kageyama’s words were textbook, like he’d spent hours memorizing it -- who knew? Maybe he had. 

“J-Just…” Hinata paused. “Don’t leave me alone.” 

“I won’t.” 

Kageyama moved, sitting beside him instead of in front of him. He kept one hand firmly on Hinata’s shoulder. Kags bumped his head beneath Hinata’s arm, and Hinata ran his hand along the dog’s fluffy head. 

Finally, he managed to calm down. He could breathe again. Kageyama didn’t ask what had happened; either the setter had already guessed, or he’d decided it didn’t matter at the moment. Either way was fine with Hinata, because it meant that he didn’t have to tell Kageyama what had happened. 

He didn’t really want to think about it. 

“Are you okay?” Kageyama asked after at least ten minutes (give or take) had passed. 

Hinata still felt shaky and dizzy, but he could breathe now. So he nodded. He’d be okay now. 

“Thanks...for coming,” Hinata said, still somewhat breathless. 

Kageyama squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t thank me, moron. It’s fine.”

* * *

Kageyama had always worried about how the rest of the school would view Hinata after the accident which robbed the spiker of his sight. 

At first, he didn’t think very much of it -- Hinata had told him before that most the high schoolers in his age group were his friends (which made sense as the idiot could befriend literally  _ everybody _ ) and would never bully him or treat him badly. 

Hinata sucked at lying almost as badly as he sucked at serving, so Kageyama was able to tell right away that when Hinata told him that, he was telling the truth. It was all fine and well and dandy and whatnot, and Kageyama abandoned the subject for the longest time. 

But maybe he shouldn’t have. 

He was on his way to the gym after a long day of dealing with school (and getting a failing grade on one of his tests) when his phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket, frowning at the caller. 

_ Incoming Call: Stupid Hinata.  _

He paused briefly, and then flipped open his phone, putting it against his ear. “Yeah, what do you want, idiot?” he questioned. 

_ “K-Kageyama…”  _

Kageyama froze. Hinata’s voice...it didn’t sound like him at all. It was shaky, thick, and it actually took Kageyama a few minutes to realize the spiker had said his name. 

Kageyama knew in that moment that something was definitely wrong. 

“Hinata, what happened?” he questioned, because obviously something had happened to drive Hinata into this state. “What happened? Where are you? Hinata, talk to me.” 

He tried not to panic, really, he did, but he was sure that was what happened, anyways.  

_ “K-Kageyama, I…”  _ There was a pause, in which Kageyama waited anxiously, hardly daring to breathe.  _ “N-Near the...t-the end of the s-school grounds…”  _

That was all Kageyama had to hear before he took off running. The end of the school grounds, okay, Kageyama could find him. Kageyama  _ had  _ to find him. He didn’t know what would become of Hinata if he didn’t. 

“Okay,” he said. “I’m coming. Stay on the phone. Don’t you  _ dare  _ hang up.”  

Hinata was panicking again, and Kageyama knew it, and he feared it, too. Hinata was alone -- if he wasn’t, then why did he call Kageyama in the first place? -- and by the sound of his voice, he was scared out of his mind. Kageyama still didn’t really know what was going on, but he had to find out. 

It took him a few minutes before he realized Hinata hadn’t replied. 

“Oi, idiot!” he shouted, his feet pounding against the ground as he ran. He didn’t feel out of breath even for a second. “Stay on the phone with me!”  

A beat, and then,  _ “O-Okay _ ,” and Kageyama was relieved. At least Hinata was still  _ conscious _ , but his breathing was heavy and labored and honestly, it was beginning to panic the setter more than he wished to admit. 

But he could hide it. He could hide his panic if just for Hinata’s sake. 

“Breathe,” Kageyama said firmly. “I can tell you’re panicking. You’ve gotta breathe.” 

Hinata’s answer came relatively quickly.  _ “I c-can’t,”  _ Hinata sobbed.  _ “K-Kageyama, I’m...I-I’m scared.”  _

And that put Kageyama over the edge. He swore under his breath, hoping Hinata didn’t hear it, and ran twice as fast as before. Honestly, he didn’t think he’d ever run this fast in his life. 

“Just...just  _ hang in there _ , Hinata,” he begged. “Hang in there, I’m almost there.”  

_ “H-Hurry. P-P-Please.”  _

And Kageyama ran even faster.   

Finally, he made it. The end of the school grounds. He looked around frantically, breathing heavily to catch his breath. There were buildings, but there was no telling just  _ where  _ Hinata was. 

So he asked. “Are you by a building?” he asked. He doubted Hinata was indoors; if he was, there would have been somebody else to help him. 

_ “Y-Yes.”  _

“Okay,” said Kageyama, and he was running again, checking by every single building he passed. “Hang on.”  _ Just hang on a little bit longer.  _ He really,  _ really  _ hoped Hinata couldn’t tell he was panicking. 

Kageyama suddenly heard something growl, and he ran in that direction. He recognized the growl; it was almost as bizarre sounding as the animal’s bark.

He turned the corner. 

Kags was the first thing he saw. The service dog bared its teeth and snarled through them, and then stopped all at once when he recognized Kageyama. Kags was definitely on edge, but not the same “on edge” he’d been during Hinata’s first panic attack. 

No. Kags was  _ protecting  _ Hinata now. 

Something had hurt Hinata. 

Kageyama buried his fury for the time being; he had other things to worry about right now. Kags stepped aside to let him by, and Kageyama charged forward. 

“Hinata!” he shouted, terminating the call now that the spiker was right in front of him. He dropped his phone and raced over, kneeling in front of Hinata. 

Hinata was sitting against the wall with his knees against his chest and his hands buried in his hair. His breathing was hoarse and sporadic; this was definitely some kind of panic attack. 

Kageyama also noticed bruises, specifically one on Hinata’s temple, but he didn’t comment. He forced his anger back and focused on Hinata instead, moving his hands to grip his teammate’s shoulders. 

“Hinata, listen to me,” Kageyama said, and he shook Hinata, just slightly. “It’s okay. You’re safe. Do you feel this, idiot?” He shook the spiker once again. “I’m here.” 

After Hinata’s first panic attack, Kageyama had spent hours doing research on what to do if you were with someone while they had a panic attack. He’d memorized every word of it, which was saying a lot, as he hated memorizing anything other than volleyball signals and new techniques. 

He’d done it just in case, and now he was so,  _ so  _ glad that he did. 

“K-Kageyama…” Hinata stuttered. 

“Breathe,” Kageyama interrupted, calling to mind all the research he’d done and the information he’d learned. “Four seconds in, four seconds out. Remember, you’re okay. It’s scary, but you’re okay. You can get through this. Just breathe.”  

He was quoting what he’d read one should say to someone during a panic attack, but he was sincere about it, too. He was worried and anxious, but he managed to keep up this calm, outward act for Hinata’s sake. 

Finally, Hinata’s breathing calmed down some, and a lot of Kageyama’s worry diminished. “Better?” he inquired quietly, and Hinata nodded, eyes closed. 

“Okay,” said Kageyama. “Tell me what you need right now.” 

“J-Just…don’t leave me alone.” 

Kageyama nodded firmly. “I won’t.” And he wouldn’t. He shifted positions, maintaining hold on Hinata’s shoulder all the while, and sat next to him, leaning against the wall. After a little while, Kags moved over, too, snuggling at Hinata’s side. Hinata jumped, just slightly, and then relaxed, digging his fingers into Kags’ fur. 

A couple of minutes passed in silence. 

“Are you okay?” Kageyama asked. 

And Hinata nodded. His breathing was almost completely normal once again, and Kageyama felt so much relief it was unbelievable. 

But now that his panic was beginning to leave, his anger and fury was steadily returning. Someone had done this to Hinata. Someone had hurt him. Someone had forced fear into Hinata so much so that he was driven into another panic attack. 

When Kageyama found who was responsible…

“Thanks...for coming,” Hinata said, quietly and breathlessly, and Kageyama was torn from his thoughts. 

He squeezed Hinata’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t thank me, moron,” he said. “It’s fine.” 

But he was going to flat-out  _ murder  _ whoever was responsible for this. 

* * *

_ “Yo, Kageyama! You never call me. What’s up?”  _

“Nishinoya, someone hurt Hinata.” 

Instantly, the other line went silent for a few moments, and when the libero’s voice returned, it was full of malice. 

_ “Who,”  _ he started,  _ “would  _ dare  _ hurt Hinata?”  _

“I don’t know,” said Kageyama, feeling just as much fury towards the bully as Nishinoya. “Not a first year, I know that much.” After all, Hinata got along unbelievably well with the rest of the first years at Karasuno. 

_ “I’m getting Tanaka. We’re not taking this sitting down.”  _

Kageyama had to agree. “I’m taking Hinata home now,” Kageyama told Nishinoya. “We won’t be at club.” 

_ “I figured. I’ll tell everyone else. Take care of my kohai.”  _

“You bet. Oh, and Nishinoya...if you’re looking for suspects, check for bite marks. Kags didn’t take it sitting down.” 

_ “Tell him good dog from me. And thanks. I’ll let you know if we find anything.”  _

_ Click _ .  

Kageyama pocketed his phone and turned back to face Hinata, who was fidgeting restlessly, shaking on his feet. “Alright,” he said, “you’re going home. Now.” 

Hinata didn’t object, and this might have been the most worrisome thing of all. 

* * *

Hinata didn’t go to school for a little while after that. Kageyama headed down the sidewalks towards Karasuno, alone. Usually, Hinata would walk with him -- or, moreover, Kageyama would walk with Hinata -- but now, he was by himself, and the silence was annoying and tedious. 

Kageyama still swore revenge on whoever dared lay a finger on Hinata. He didn’t care who it was; he would make them pay. 

In between classes, he would snoop the halls, searching for anyone with a tell-tale bite mark from when Hinata’s service dog had attacked in defense of his owner. He passed Nishinoya and Tanaka in the halls as well; they were after the same thing. 

“Sugawara, Daichi and Asahi are looking at the third years,” Nishinoya told Kageyama in passing. “Let us know if you see anything.” 

And Kageyama nodded. It was like the entire volleyball team was after this bully; Kageyama even caught Tsukishima and Yamaguchi eyeing a suspicious first year (who turned out to be innocent, by the way). 

They found nothing until after the last lesson, when Kageyama was making his way down the halls to leave the school grounds. He passed a slim second-year and at first didn’t think much of it, keeping his head low to the ground to avoid conversation. 

But then, he caught sight of bandages wrapping the boy’s shin, and he stopped instantly. The bandages had slipped down some, probably when the second-year was walking, and now, Kageyama could see teeth marks, just barely scabbing over. 

This settled it. 

Kageyama stopped and spun around the instant the second-year passed him. “Hey,” he said lowly. 

The second-year turned and glared at him. If Kageyama wasn’t, well,  _ Kageyama _ , the glare would have scared the living daylights out of him. But of course, Kageyama wasn’t easily scared by other people’s threatening demeanors or appearances. 

“Whatdda want?” the second-year demanded. “I haven’t got all day, brat.”  

Kageyama was shaking, definitely not from fear, but from anger. He balled his fists at his sides, his teeth clenched so tightly he was in danger of grinding them. “Did you,” he began, lowly and threateningly, “by chance, bump into a blind first-year with a service dog the other day?” 

The second-year grinned, and Kageyama’s fury reached its peak. “Dunno, I might’ve,” said the second-year breezily, shrugging with feigned innocence. “So what if I did?” 

And that was all he had the chance to say before Kageyama’s fist met his face.

* * *

Kageyama knocked twice on the door, and it was answered in an instant by Natsu, who looked up at him oddly. 

Natsu frowned, and then called over her shoulder, “Nii-chan, your friend from the volleyball club is here!” She stepped aside to let Kageyama in, accustomed to the setter’s visits by now. Kageyama thanked her and pulled off his shoes at the door, then followed Natsu into the living room. 

Hinata was sitting on the couch with Kags lying beside him. 

“Morning, idiot,” Kageyama greeted. 

Hinata frowned in his direction. It’d only been two days since he was cornered at school, but the bruise on his head was ugly, a splotch of purple and blue, and there was an icepack on the couch side table which Hinata had been using on and off all day. 

“What’re you doing here, Bakayama?” Hinata asked. “It’s a school day, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you be at Karasuno?” 

Kageyama paused. “I…” He waited a bit, “...got suspended.” 

Hinata sat forward. “You what!?” he demanded. “What did you do!?” He paused, suddenly realizing. “You didn’t. You  _ didn’t _ .” 

“I did.” 

“I told you not to!” Hinata protested. “You didn’t have to make a big deal about it! I said I was fine.”   

“He hurt you.” 

“Yeah, but--” 

“He  _ hurt  _ you,” Kageyama repeated. “End of story.” 

Hinata opened his mouth to object, and then thought better of it. He leaned against the back of the couch and crossed his arms. “How long?” he asked instead with a long, tired sigh. 

“Two weeks,” said Kageyama. “All I did was punch him.” 

Hinata muttered “all I did” mockingly under his breath, and Kageyama glared at him, though he knew Hinata couldn’t see it.   

There was another series of knocks on the front door, and Natsu ran to open it once again. This time, it was Nishinoya and Tanaka who entered, grinning and pulling off their shoes as they stepped through the door. 

“Shōyō!” said Nishinoya, grinning, and he raced over, pursued by Tanaka. “How’s it going?” 

“Nishinoya?” said Hinata, frowning. “Wait, does this mean…?” 

“Oy, Kageyama!” said Nishinoya, punching the setter on the shoulder -- hard. “So you were suspended, too!” 

“ _ Too!?”  _ blurted Hinata. He looked so horrified it was unbelievable. “What did you  _ do!?”  _

“So, Kageyama,” said Tanaka, “how long you in for?” 

“Two weeks.” 

“Am I even talking!?” Hinata cried. 

“Ah! Man!” said Tanaka. “I’ve got three weeks!” 

“I’ve got  _ four!”  _ said Nishinoya. “Which means now I can spend four weeks looking after my kohai!” He reached over, ruffling Hinata’s hair for emphasis, being careful not to touch the bruise on the younger’s head. 

“You guys shouldn’t have done that,” said Hinata. 

“Well, that jerk got what he deserved,” said Nishinoya, crossing his arms. “No one messes with a member of our team without facing the wrath of the rest of us.” 

Tanaka nodded and punched his fist into his open palm. 

Hinata sighed, but then, he smiled faintly. “Well,” he said, “at least I don’t have to worry about him anymore…” 

“As long as we’re here,” said Tanaka, “no one will ever bother you again.” 

“I second that,” said Nishinoya.    


“Third,” said Kageyama. 

* * *

Rumors flew and the story got twisted quite a bit as eye-witnessing students told other students, and those students told part of the story to other students. Before long, everyone knew about “the three members of the volleyball club who went crazy on some second-year punk who hurt their friend.” 

At first, it annoyed Kageyama to no end. 

But then again, most people ended up being too scared to mess with Hinata after that. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of the volleyball club’s wrath. 

And anyone who  _ did _ mess with Hinata in the future found themselves in one unfortunate predicament after the other. Tsukishima spread rumors about said bullies (“The real strength lies in word of mouth,” Tsukishima had said one day regarding Kageyama’s, Nishinoya’s, and Tanaka’s outbursts, “not strength of fists.”) and Sugawara was good at dropping subtle hints (“Touch my kohai again,” Sugawara would say, smiling, which was even more terrifying, “and you’ll regret it.”) 

Asahi and Daichi’s very  _ presence  _ was enough to scare the living daylights out of any students who threatened Hinata’s safety, and the rest of the team took turns escorting Hinata through the halls and walking him home, though Kageyama did most of this. 

No one would  _ ever  _ hurt Hinata as far as the rest of his team was concerned. 

And if they did, they would live to regret it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya guys! I'm back again! :) Hopefully I still have readers here and you all haven't ditched me...I really wouldn't know tho. *shrugs* Hopefully you guys have stuck around. Or maybe you've just run off to my FF account, which is cool too. Anyways, I hope you're still enjoying the story! :) I'll update soon! :D


	10. OMAKE - Their First and Last Movie Night

 

 Kageyama stared down at the DVD case, frowning at the cover photo. A silhouette of a chandelier against a red-carpet between walls lined with hotel room doors stared back at him, almost tauntingly. There was a window at the end of the hallway, and a flash of lightning beyond illuminated the words “Hotel 9” in neon red cursive letters. They looked innocent enough, but that was scarier.

“This is a bad idea,” Kageyama decided, raising his head.

Tanaka and Nishinoya were on the other side of the room, fiddling with the DVD player while, in the kitchen nearby, Sugawara and Asahi were making popcorn. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were sitting on the couch in front of the TV, the former looking bored and the latter looking vaguely intrigued.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Daichi answered, moving over, taking the DVD case and handing it to the waiting Nishinoya, who in turn popped the disc into the player. “Besides, we all agreed on it.”

“I know,” said Kageyama, “but…” He glanced over at Hinata, who was sitting beside Yamaguchi on the couch. Kags the service dog sat on the floor at his feet. Wordlessly, Kageyama pointed a finger at Hinata.

Daichi put up his hands. “He said he didn’t mind,” said Daichi.

Kageyama frowned. He had a hard time believing Hinata was really “fine” with this whole thing.

He didn’t remember agreeing to this, actually, at all. Hinata just asked him randomly one day, “So, you coming with us to Daichi’s to watch the movie tonight?” and Kageyama didn’t really have a choice.  

Who’s idea had it been to have a movie night at Daichi’s place, again? And an even _more_ important question was, _who the heck decided on a horror movie?_

Kageyama didn’t have time to think about it.

“There we go!” Nishinoya cheered, springing back and landing perfectly on the couch (Tsukishima scooted over a bit, but if anyone noticed, they ignored it). Tanaka tossed the libero the remote, and he caught it effortlessly.

“Yes! Finally!” Hinata said. “This is going to be fun, I can tell!”

Kageyama seriously doubted that, but he didn’t comment. Asahi and Sugawara returned from the kitchen a moment later empty-handed; they’d given up on the popcorn.

“Great!” said Nishinoya. “The gang’s all here! Come on, I’m tired of waiting!”

The rest of the team shuffled over to the couch and got situated. Asahi, Daichi, Sugawara and Tanaka seated themselves on the floor in front of the couch while Hinata and Kageyama sat next to Nishinoya. Kyoko and Yachi were busy tonight and unable to make it, and the rest of the team had decided that no, they did _not_ want to watch a horror movie at nine o’clock at night, thank you very much.

(Kageyama envied them all.)

The disc finished loading, the menu popped up on the screen (a still, too-innocent picture of a hotel lobby), and Nishinoya hit the play button instantly.

Kageyama glanced at Hinata. “Want me to narrate what’s going on?” he offered.

Hinata shook his head. “Nope,” he said. “I’m gonna listen and try guessing.”

Kageyama blanched. Considering the genre of the movie, that might not be the best idea. But of course, he didn’t say anything. The movie had begun.

* * *

 

It started off fine. Almost _too_ fine, actually. A girl and her father had come to the Hotel 9 for an extended vacation. Nothing was suspicious; no flashing lights, no creepy bellboys, no suspicious “off-limit” rooms…

“Somebody’s gonna die,” said Nishinoya out of the blue, eyes glued to the screen. “I just know it.”

Asahi blanched. “Don’t -- don’t say stuff like that, Noya!” he protested, bringing his hands up to cover his eyes.

“What?” said Nishinoya, frowning, looking genuinely confused by Asahi’s reaction. “You guys saw the cover, right? It’s obvious someone’s gonna--”

“SHHHHH!” Daichi hissed. “We’re trying to watch it!”

Kageyama saw Sugawara swallow heavily. The movie went on, but now, thanks to Nishinoya, everything felt _off_.

Kageyama noticed subtle changes in the music and atmosphere, the manner of which the characters spoke and interacted with each other. Nothing had gone wrong so far, but that was almost scarier.

Kageyama decided at that moment that this had definitely been a bad idea.

* * *

 

Everything went downhill from that moment on. Night had fallen at Hotel 9, and the leading protagonist realized that she’d left one of her bags downstairs, in the lobby, and was going to get it.

“No, don’t go alone!” Asahi cried, burying his face in his hands. “Please don’t go alone -- oh no, she’s going alone, oh no--”

“Asahi, be quiet!” Tanaka snapped, elbowing their gentle giant of an ace. “It’s starting to get good!”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes to the roof. “Tch,” he muttered. “You’re seriously into this? I saw this movie last year, it’s not that--”

A loud, collective “SHHHHHH!!” interrupted him, and Tsukishima, with a final roll of his eyes, fell silent and looked back at the screen. The girl was now walking down the hallway showed on the DVD’s case, with lightning flashing -- silently, eerily enough -- in the window behind her.

She was walking slowly, looking around at every single little sound. There was a creak and a low roll of thunder, and she continued down the hallway, cautiously. The music was playing quiet, off-pitched strings, and the girl was beginning to look frantic.

“She should have taken a flashlight,” Yamaguchi whimpered, squeezing the life out of one of the couch’s throw pillows. “She should have grabbed a flashlight _why didn’t she take a flashlight…”_

“She should’ve taken a golf club, too, just in case,” Kageyama muttered. His hands were folded, and he was biting his lip. He stared at the screen, frowning, and then looked beside him at Hinata.

He couldn’t see the screen, of course, but he was getting unbelievably well at determining the situation thanks to the sounds he heard -- which, in this case, was lightning, footsteps, and of course that eerie soundtrack.

“Oy, idiot, you alright?” Kageyama inquired. Hinata didn’t look _scared,_ per se, but he was fidgeting quite a bit, to the point where it actually made Kageyama uncomfortable -- plus he still hadn’t let go of Kageyama’s arm since the film started.

“Oh, yeah, I’m okay,” Hinata said, nodding, but he said it as though to convince himself. Kageyama thought about saying something else, but didn’t -- his attention was, once again, taken by the film.

The girl on the screen was coming to a blind turn up ahead. The show’s antsy audience leaned forward in anticipation. The music was steadily climbing, reaching its peak, and the girl was getting closer to the turn, closer and closer, her breathing increasing drastically, and the lightning was still flashing behind her, and the floorboards were creaking, and everything was slowly reaching the climax and she finally turned the corner --

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Hinata’s blood curdling scream broke the silence, and everyone was so shocked and hyped with anticipation that they, too, screamed loudly -- even Tsukishima, though he’d feign innocence when the subject was brought up later.

“HINATA!” they all groaned collectively.

“You idiot!” Kageyama snapped, looking up at the screen. The girl had turned the corner finally, revealing another empty hallway, this one leading to the elevator.

“There wasn’t even anything there!” Kageyama yelled, cuffing Hinata on the back of the head.

“I’m sorry!” Hinata cried, putting his hands up in front of his face defensively. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t take the suspense!”

“You can’t even _see_ anything!”

“But the music was scary! And I could hear her breathing, and the lightning, and her footsteps--!”

“Just don’t do that again, Shōyō!” said Nishinoya, reaching over and ruffling the spiker’s hair.

Sugawara breathed heavily, one hand over his pounding heart. “There’s goes ten years off my lifespan,” he whispered to himself, just loud enough for Kageyama to hear.

* * *

 

“Ooh! Look! The cleaning lady!” said Nishinoya, looking at said character on the screen. “She’s kinda cute…”

There was a beat.

“OH CRAP NO SHE’S NOT! NO! DON’T TRUST THE CLEANING LADY, SHE’S EVIL -- OH DARN IT _NO! NO! DON’T FOLLOW HER INTO THE BROOM CLOSET -- AW DANGIT.”_

“Aaaaand there goes the only normal side character: the friendly bellboy,” said Tsukishima. “We’re not going to be seeing him again.”

“Tsukishima,” Daichi said warningly.

“Another one bites the dust,” Nishinoya sighed, drawing a fifth tally mark on a piece of paper he’d ripped out of a notebook.

“Since when do you have a hit list!?” Yamaguchi shrieked, looking mortified.

“Since we got tired of counting how many characters died!” Tanaka retorted; he, too, was in on it.

Yamaguchi looked ready to have a heart attack. “Why are you keeping count!?”

“Wait, someone else died?” said Hinata, blinking. “I didn’t even hear that…”

“Silent death,” said Tanaka gravely. “It’s always the most horrifying in these kinds of movies…”  

* * *

 

“It’s the girl’s father!” Kageyama snapped his fingers, making everyone jump. They were about half-way into the film, and Kageyama was sure he’d figured it out. “He has something to do with this, I know it!”

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. “It’s not her father,” he said, “it’s the--”

“SPOILERS!!” Nishinoya screeched at the top of his lungs, lunging across the couch and karate-chopping Tsukishima’s side. “JUST WATCH THE SHOW LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!!”

“It’s her father,” said Kageyama, nodding thoughtfully at the screen. “He seemed suspicious ever since he tipped the bellboy…” And that was true; Kageyama had always found the protagonist’s father to be a little on the strange side. After all, what kind of lunatic visits a _hotel_ with _red neon letters?_

“I hope not,” said Hinata quietly. He _still_ hadn’t let go of Kageyama’s arm, and now Kageyama felt pins and needles shoot up and down his forearm. “He’s the only person who hasn’t killed anyone yet…”

“I guess that makes him more suspicious,” said Tanaka thoughtfully, “the fact that he’s _too_ innocent…”

That wasn’t reassuring _at all_.   

* * *

 

The movie was reaching its climax. The mysteries behind Hotel 9 were out in the open. The girl was, once again, walking down a long hallway. There were tears on her face and the carpet was stained by a dark _something_ \-- Kageyama was pretty sure it was blood -- and if everyone had been antsy before, they were _dying_ of anticipation now. Even Daichi, who was known for keeping a level-head, looked unnerved.

Behind the girl was a dark silhouette, a shadowy figure, slowly closing in on her, but she didn’t notice. She was too focused on what was right in front of her to notice her attacker was coming up from behind.

“Turn around,” Kageyama snapped at the girl on the screen. “Turn around, _turn around you idiot--”_

“She’s gonna die, isn’t she?” Hinata whimpered. “She’s gonna die she’s gonna die she’s gonna die she’sgonnadieshe’sgonnadie--”

Asahi was chanting something under his breath, too, and it sounded suspiciously like “Think about volleyball, think about volleyball, think about volleyball...”

“Turn around,” Nishinoya and Tanaka demanded the protagonist in vain, their hands curled into fists on their knees. “Turn around, _turn around_ , it’s right behind you -- AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The shadow suddenly pounced, and loud, ear-piercing screams echoed throughout the living room, from both the TV and its audience. Sugawara slapped his hand over Hinata’s eyes (which didn’t make any difference, of course) and looked away himself while Asahi pulled a nearby blanket over his head. Nishinoya was using a throw pillow like a helmet to shield his face, Yamaguchi was _still_ screaming, Tsukishima was covering his ears, and Kageyama had leapt to his feet, shouting a string of profanities at the screen while Daichi told him to calm down, though the captain looked just as mortified as the rest of his team.

This...had definitely been a bad idea.   

* * *

 

“Alright, everyone! That’s all!” Daichi said, clapping his hands together and turning off the accursed film as soon as the credits started rolling. Sugawara got up and turned the lights on as fast as physically possible, and if anyone noticed how he raced back to the couch, they didn’t comment.

“That’s eleven to three,” said Tanaka, looking down at his hit list. “Eleven dead, three survivors. And of course they’re all friggin’ monsters.”

“Wait, it’s over?” Nishinoya pouted; beside him, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi stood up, Yamaguchi hiding behind Tsukishima like his life depended on it. “Aww, I was hoping we’d see more…”

“It was long enough,” Asahi said, burying his face in his hands yet again. “I’m not going to be able to sleep for a week…”

“I was sure I had the plot figured out,” Kageyama complained, looking away thoughtfully, “but…” He hesitated. “I may have been...slightly wrong.”

“Shocker,” Hinata said cheekily. Kageyama swung; Hinata ducked (Hinata was actually an expert of dodging Kageyama now, using the same technique he used while receiving balls on the court).  

“I didn’t think it was that scary,” said Tanaka, getting up. “Honestly, though, with all those jump scares, I’m surprised we aren’t scraping Hinata off the ceiling.”

“What? Hey! I wasn’t _that_ scared!” Hinata protested. “Kageyama, vouch for me!”

“No.”

“Eh!? Traitor!”

“Shut up.”  

“You screamed like a two year old girl on a roller coaster,” Tsukishima told Hinata, deadpan, even though there was definitely a silent smirk gleaming in his eyes.

“T-That’s different!” Hinata stuttered, but he was obviously fighting a losing battle. “I wasn’t actually scared! I was just...um…”  

“Well, that’s it,” said Daichi, cutting in before Tsukishima and Hinata continued. “The movie’s over, so why don’t you all go home?”

The room fell silent. The sound of a pin dropping probably would have hurt their ears.

“G-Go...home?” Yamaguchi asked, terror evident in his voice, finally breaking the heavy silence.

“I-In the d-dark?” Asahi chimed in, his voice shaking ridiculously.   

“But...I don’t want to die!” Hinata shrieked, digging his hands into his hair. His confident “I wasn’t scared!” was completely left in the dust now. “P-People always die in the dark when they’re walking home alone!”

“In the dumb movies they do,” Tsukishima sighed.

“Don’t worry, Hinata!” Tanaka shouted enthusiastically, jabbing his thumb at his chest. “Your senpais will walk you home!”

“That’s right!” agreed Nishinoya, nodding firmly.

Hinata’s face lit up. “Really!? Thank you! You’re the best!”

“No problem!” said Tanaka, grinning widely. “So, where do you live? A few blocks away or something?”

“No,” said Hinata, shaking his head, “I live over the mountains, remember? It’s a little over an hour from here.”

Tanaka and Nishinoya stopped smiling. “Over...the mountains,” said Tanaka slowly.

“In the dark,” said Nishinoya.

“Away from society,” said Tanaka.  

“Away from the city,” said Nishinoya.  

They looked back at Hinata, and then laid their hands on his shoulders.

“You’re on your own, Hinata,” they said, firmly and in unison.

Hinata looked ready to explode. “WHAT!? WHY!?” he yelled (Sugawara covered his ears). “You just said you would walk me home!”

Kageyama rolled his eyes and sighed. Of course. “Fine,” he said, “ _I’ll_ walk you home, idiot.”

Hinata was protesting as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “No, no, no! That makes it scarier!” Hinata cried, to which Kageyama glared.

“More scary,” Tsukishima corrected.

“Proper grammar doesn’t matter if you’re dead!” Hinata said. “And I don’t want to die! I’m too young!”

“Okay, okay, I think I know how we should do this!” said Tanaka, spreading his hands. “We’ll go in teams of two and walk each other to our houses.”

“But even when we do that,” said Tsukishima, “won’t the second person have to go by themselves after the first one gets home?”

“Ah, you have a point!” said Tanaka, and then, under his breath, “even though I don’t like admitting it...okay! We’ll go in teams of _three!”_

“You still have the same problem.”

“Dangit, Tsukishima! Why don’t you help us think of a solution instead of pointing out all our problems?”  

Kageyama sighed. This entire situation was a train wreck that was never going to get better. “I still can’t believe my theories were wrong,” he said, re-running bits of the film through his head. “I was so sure her father had something to do with it…”

“Groups of four!” Tanaka was still going on.

Tsukishima shut him down once again. “You still have the same problem after the first three get home.”

“Okay, okay, but hear me out -- groups of _five--”_

“You’re all hopeless.”

“I don’t want to die!” Hinata was still shouting, covering his ears with his hands as though that would somehow help. “If this was a horror movie, I’d die on my way home! Alone! I don’t want that to happen!”

“No, you wouldn’t be the guy who dies on his way home,” said Tsukishima. “If this were a horror movie, you’d be that random extra that dies within the first ten seconds.”

“Eek!”

“Tsukki! Please stop! You’re making it worse!”

“GROUPS OF NINE!”

“ _Tanaka, that’s all of us!_ ”

“I don’t want to die I don’t want to die _I don’t want to die--!!”_

“Groups of--”

“Tanaka, shut up!”

“No, I’m thinking of a solution--!”

“I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die--”

“I think we broke Hinata!”

“You can add one more to the hit list, then.”

“ _TSUKISHIMA, YOU’RE NOT HELPING!!”_

Yep. Definitely a train wreck.

Finally, it became too much. “ALRIGHT!” Daichi shouted, instantly ending every conversation in the room at once. Once all eyes were on him, Daichi went on, much calmer than before. “You can all stay here tonight! It’s late, and I’m sure your parents wouldn’t want you walking home at this hour. Just let them know where you are, alright?”

“MERCIFUL GOD DAICHI!” Nishinoya shrieked, bowing low to the ground, with Tanaka right beside him. “WE’RE NOT WORTHY!”

“Don’t make me change my mind!” Daichi roared, and that was the end of that.

In the end, no one actually fell asleep, not with the more gruesome parts of “Hotel 9” fresh in their minds. So instead of just lying awake in the living room all night, they played board games and Truth or Dare until eventually, one by one, individually, they dropped off to sleep.

But before doing so, they made a  solemn vow: never again would they have another movie night.

And if they did, they’d watch Pokemon.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a more lighthearted chapter, I know. Hopefully I made a few of you laugh (or at least smile) because I know I was having a blast writing this.
> 
> I’ve decided I’m not going to cover all of the Haikyuu!! events, but I’m going to go over the key events. Basically what this means is I’m not going to cover the entire training camp from start to finish, but I am going to cover Hinata and Kageyama’s new quick and Bokuto tutoring Hinata; I probably won’t cover an entire match, but I’ll cover Hinata learning how to listen to his team and drown out the cheering audience, or try to receive Oikawa’s serves. 
> 
> And I'm sorry for taking so long to update this thing. :/ Hopefully some of you readers have stuck around. 
> 
> Anyways, I'll see you all next time! Thanks for everything! :)


End file.
